Be Happy
by morbid bookworm
Summary: This is for all you people out there who like me are suffering from serious percabeth withdrawal. All canon couples, (and Solangelo totally counts as canon) and they WILL NOT CHANGE OR WAVER! Also a few minor character non canon couples that in no way interfere with the canon couples.T for swearing and some other stuff.
1. No PDA in the gods council room!

GO FORWARD AND BE EATEN.

GO BACK AND REGRET IT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

NOT MUCH OF A CHOICE, IS IT?

**This is my motto. I am a sad person. Oh well.**

**Okay, so like I said there will be no indesicion on the couples. Yes there will be some jealousy, but mostly from made up charactors or ones that don't matter. These will mostly be happy and/or funny, ( I'll do my best,) but there will be a few sad ones about Annabeth when Percy is missing. Hopefully they will at least warm your heart and remind you that PERCY AND ANNABETH CANNOT, I REPEAT, CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT EACH OTHER. I will not argue on this point. The P.O.V.'s will not have any particular order. I will do my best to make the charactors seem normal, but I'm not going to make anyone seem mean, 'cause this is to reasure both you and me of everyone's feelings, not make us hate them.**

**I hoped in my first authers note I would impress upon you my amazimg and witty charisma, but I'm on my period so it will have to wait.**

**I am not Rick Riorden. If I was, you wouldn't need to read this. On with the story!**

**Luke's P.O.V.**

It was quiet. There was no voice in his head telling me to destry my friends.

_Well that was new._

I opened my eyes and turned my head to see a knife lying next to my hand. Suddenly everything came flooding back to me. Annabeth hurt. Family. Begging Percy. Knife. Stabbing. Pain. Kronos was gone. I was dying. Crap.

"Good . . . blade." I know, I know. Not exactly a heartfelt and tearfull confession. Hey, cut the guy who is dying some slack.

Percy, Annabeth and Grover crowded around me with tears in their eyes. I though crying for me was rather sweet of them, especially considering how many times I had tryed to kill them and everyone they cared about.

I gazed at Annabeth. "You knew. I almost killed you, but you knew . . ." I always said she was smart.

"Shhh." Her voice trembled." You were a hero at the end Luke. You'll go to Elysium."

I shook my head weakly."Think . . . rebirth. Try for three times. Isles of the Blest." Thanks but no thanks. There are too many people in Elysium who hate my guts to be happy there. I mean, I just got my freaking soul reaped. I deserve a break from pain. Can you feel pain when your dead? I'll have to ask Nico . . . Ahhh, stopid ADHD brain, focus, just at least untill I die.

Annabeth sniffled. "You always pushed yourself too hard." Huh. Force of habit, I guess.

I held up my hand, wincing internaly. It looked like charcoal. But this was more important. I had to make them understand. I had to make sure they were going to be happy. That's all I want for my dearest little sister. Happiness. At first, even when she was only taking care of him after the minotour attack I felt a little jealous of him. I thought she had needed me. Not some kid. Now it's very different. Dying can really change your perspective in life. I mean, I wasn't stupid. You think I didn't see how she took that knife for him? Or how he rushed to protect her? They just need a little push in the right direction. Meaning, confessing their feelings. Kids these days.

Annabeth touched my charred fingertips.

"Did you . . ." I broke off coughing and tasted blood, then continued."Did you love me?" I was sure of Percy's feelings, but she had to say it for herself.

Annabeth wiped her tears away. "There was a time I thought . . .well, I thought . . ." She looked at Percy, and he looked at her, and they stayed staring at each other, drinking the others presence in, like they were the only ones that mattered to the other. Which, of course was perfectly true. Just best friends my bloody ass. Grover shifted uncomfortably and I idly wondered what the gods would think if they charged in here, ready for battle, only to find those two making out directly above my mangled corpse, with Grover looking on . . .Ahhh, focus!

Finally, they broke their gaze. Good thing too, it was getting awfully hot in here.

"You were like a brother to me, Luke," she said softly. " But I didn't love you."

I could have sworn, for just a second, I saw Percy smile, but when I looked back, it was gone.

I nodded in relief, then winced. Note to self: if you ever stab yourself in your mortal spot, don't move until you die. That was a stupid thing to say. Maybe the blast knocked some of my brains out. I wouldn't be suprised.

Back to the previous topic of discusion, I had totally expected, and even hoped for that answere. Isn't it so that opposites attract? Annabeth was my little sister, but nothing more. I saw both her and Thalia in the Styx, back when we were on the run. Best years of my life. But I bet when Percy went in, he saw Annabeth and only Annabeth, and not as a little sister. I trust them to take care of each other. And if he doesn't, I'll beat him up, curse of Achilles or no. Bet she knows where his mortal point is too. Seems like the kind of thing he'd do.

"We can get ambrosia," Grover said. "We can-"

"Grover," I gulped, well, it did sound tempting, but seriously Grover? I love ya, but a couple o lemon squares ain't gonna cut it." You're the bravest satyr I ever knew. But no. There's no healing . . ."I coughed again. Dammit, I'm running out of time, there's so much I want to say . . .

Percy. He'll say it. He's just impertanent to get away with it.

I gripped his sleeve and his skin felt cold. Or maybe I was hot. It was getting harder to concentrate."Ethan. Me. All the unclaimed. Don't let it . . ." Every thing was getting fuzzy and dark, but he had to promise. He had to make it up to the people I betrayed for me. Right my wrongs and everyone elses, say good bye to Thalia, make sure my mom . . ."Don't let it happen again."

I was angry, and desperate. He had to promise, I was about to slip away.

"I won't, I promise."

And everything went dark.

* * *

><p>I was standing next to a river, not the styx, but it was definitely in the underworld.<p>

"You spirit, previously called Luke Castellan, have chosen to be wiped clean of all memories and reborn into the future."

Across the river, I saw a scene of two people in a room with a chair. The man had dark messy hair and smiling green eyes. He walked over to his curly blond haired and grey eyed wife sitting in the chair and bent to kiss her cheek. She smiled and took his hands, pressing them tenderly to her rounded belly. They smiled at each other. Happy.

"This is the new life you have chosen. If you still wish to procede, step into the river, then out to your new life."

Obediently I stepped forward into the river. I could feel my life and sense of self being washed away, like taking a good hot bath, after a long day.

And I stepped out into my new life. A new person.

**Well? Do you like it? If so please review, and be harsh and critical. I think I will only be able to update once a week, and next will probably beeeeeeee . . . Okay I'm not sure yet, but hopefully I will choose from my many ideas by the next weekend.**

**By the way did you guys relize that at the last point in the Son of Neptune it's almost Percy and Annabeths one year anniversery? Think they'll be able to celeberate it if they were seperated for eight or nine of those months?**


	2. Meeting Paul

GO FORWARD AND BE EATEN.

GO BACK AND REGRET IT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

NOT MUCH OF A CHOICE, IS IT?

**Okay, I'm trying to put these in some sort of order. Obviously I am failing miserably. At the very least they will be seperated into, before Percy goes missing, during and after. There may be a few, after I do all the ones I'm thinking about, that will be out of order but I don't know because I haven't thought of them yet. Eventually I will be doing a major percabeth, Mark of Athena reunion with all the couples I mentioned. But it will only be up untill they leave Camp Jupiter.**

**I'm trying to remember a story, it has some sister or nun praying for Annabeth's soul when she catches her and Percy illeagaly making out in her dormitry, and I think one of the chapters is called How Annabeth Became a Cheerleader. Does anyone know what it's called?**

* * *

><p><strong><span>Paul POV<span>**

Okay, I was worried. Well, maybe worried was the wrong word. Nervous. That was the word. Very nervous. I had heard a lot about this guy. One from Sally, who appeared to think he was the greatest, kindest, most wonderful thing to grace this planet. And one from his school records. They said he was lazy, rude, extremely unintelligent and troublesome. I also heard that he disappeared and was the source of a nation wide man-hunt when he was just, what, 11, 12?

So I wasn't quite sure what to think.

Apparently he and his friends were coming back after a short spell at some camp or other. He had called yesterday to say 2 of his friends would be coming in for a bit after dropping him off. I didn't hear the message but for some reason Sally seemed very much relieved to hear this. She had been acting sort of worried and tense herself 'till he called. Afterwards she looked like a great weight had been lifted off her. I asked her about it, but she just said that sometimes she got anxious when he or his friends went away, but not really for any real reason. I didn't quite believe it but decide not to press. I had too much on my mind already.

What would he say when he found out his mom was dating me? What if he didn't care so long as I payed him or something, or maybe he'd chase me out and beat up Sally for bringing me here. His friends were probably big guys in some gang or other who mooch off his mom and come over only to drink and hide from the police.

_Or maybe,_ a voice in my head said,_ he's a perfectly nice boy with nice friends. You know that he has Dyslexia, ADD and ADHD. It's really no wonder he gets into so much trouble at school._

Admittedly, Sally did have lots of pictures around the house of him growing up, and he didn't look like a bad kid. Pretty goodlooking actually, but there was something about him that seemed . . . old, I guess. Like someone had put all the troubles of the world on someone who was very young and immature. Sort of. It's kind of hard to explain.

Anyway I was nervous about him coming home and meeting me right when he walked in the door. Sally had insisted there was nothing to be worried about, but her attitude right now contradicted that. She was talking and talking about pretty much everything to do with him. I think that must mean she was nervous too. I decided, not to mention to Percy exactly how many baby stories I'd heard about him.

So both me and Sally were sitting at the kitchen table, with her chattering away and me tuning her out and mulling over all this in my head, waiting for him to come home with his friends.

Then we heard the door open and someone shouted,"Mom, we're here!"

Sally was up like a shot and ran out of the room.

I followed more slowly, and came into the entry way in time to see her, squeezing the life out of him. Just behind them I could make out two people, one a tall girl with blond curly hair in a ponytail and the other a slightly scrawny guy with curly brown hair and a hat. So, so much for my big, buff, gang type friends. But that was all I could see due to the fact that Percy was thrashing around trying to get free of his mothers impressive grip.

"Mom, I love you and am really glad to see you too, but I can't breath!" he managed to choke out.

People just love proving me wrong, don't they?

Sally let go of her now squashed son and sniffed," I know, but I was so worried and-" she cut herself off when she spotted the blonde girl.

"Annabeth! Oh, I'm so glade your safe! We were so worried!" and she threw herself on top of her.

Safe from what? Who else was worried?

The girls eyes widened, alarmed at this behavior, and looked to Percy for assistance. But he just rubbbed his throat and shook his head as if to say, sorry, you're on you own.

I took this momentary distraction to examine him. He looked much the same as in the pictures, but taller and rather more muscular. His strange green eyes were the same, but his hair was slightly longer and had an odd grey streak on the side. Maybe it'some sort of fad.

He seemed to realize I was staring at him and turned to looked straight at me. Distantly I heard the girl, Annabeth reasuring Sally of her continued wellbeing and the other boy being greeted as Grover, but the force and power driving from his eyes into mine was like getting hit with a ton of bricks. I couldn't tell which emotion was behind them. Maybe it was all of could someone a head shorter than me be so damn intimidating? I felt like running and hiding under a bed, but I realized this was the test. He may not be a bullying basterd, but that didn't mean he was just going to hand me the person who had probably been the biggest part of his life for the last 13-14 years. I had to prove myself. And I wasn't backing down.

"You're Paul Blofis." How did he know my name? Unable to speak, I just nodded.

Still staring at me he said something in what sounded like greek. Almost instantly Annabeth was at his side. The guy Grover took a few seconds longer, because of a strange limp. I realized he must have been calling them.

Sally still stood in front of the doorway. I saw her bite her lip and a worry line crease between her eyebrows. But she stood back, almost like she was waiting for something.

Percy said something else and both his friends looked at me too. Annabeth's eyes were almost more frightning than Percy's. Under their combined gaze I almost fell over. But like a deer caught in their headlights, I couldn't look away. She seemed to be analyzing me, deciding the best way to take me down. She was pretty, I guess, and had an almost possesive stance over Percy, and vice-versa. She also was a bit taller than him. Wow. That must be embarassing. I almost smiled. Then I remembered that they were deciding my whole future, and sobered.

Grover's look was different. Instead of being intimidating, his eyes seemed to search my very soul, sorting through every good and bad thing I've ever done in my life. Then he smiled and turned back to Percy, putting a hand on his shoulder and murmuring something in greek in his ear. Percy relaxed slightly and looked to Annabeth for confirmation of whatever he said.

She also smiled, but at him, took his hand reasuringly and nodded. Percy's whole demeanor changed. He smiled also and stuck out his hand (the one not holding Annabeth's,) to me.

" Hi Paul, I'm Percy Jackson. It's good to finally meet you. This is Annabeth Chase and Grover Underwood."

Sally let out a long breath.

I grinned, relived, and took his hand." Hello Percy, I've heard a lot about you from your mom." And every social network, I added silently.

"Oh really," he said and narrowed his eyes at his mom.

She giggled nervously. "Yes, well, umm, what would you guys like for snack?" she asked quickly.

Grover brightened.

"Actually, Mrs. Jackson, do you have any coffee?"

Percy and Annabeth rolled their eyes. She whispered something to him and he snickered. Their was something very odd about those two, almost like they were speaking a silent language no one else around them understood. They were clearly together. I also noticed that she had grey streak that matched his exactly. Maybe it was like getting matching tottoos.

"Of course dear, and you and Annabeth really must call me Sally."

We all sat around the kitchen table, with blue cookies and coffee for Grover. At first it was kind of awkward, but once you accepted the strange powerful aura around them, they really were a cheerful lot, joking around and teasing each other. There were the awkward moments when I wouldn't be able to understand what they said, but those were always interrupted by Annabeth and Percy calling each other Seaweedbrain and Wisegirl,(I was not sure whether those were insults or strange terms of endearment, though from the smiles on their faces when they said it I suspected the latter,) or Sally urging us all to eat more blue food,(I had yet to ask about that,) or Grover asking for more coffee,(I still didn't get the joke.)

After a lull in the conversation, Sally handed Grover his third cup and I asked something that I had been wondering for a while.

"So, how long have you two been dating?"

I mean, could you blame me? I had only known them for half an hour and yet . . . If I believed in finding your soul mate at 14 . . . Surly they must have known each other for at least a year. But when Percy dropped his cookie it sounded like an anvil, it got that quiet.

Then what I had said seemed to register in Grover's brain and he choked.

"What! You guys are dating! And you couldn't be bothered to tell me! I'm supposed to be your guys' best friend! How did I not know that! I'm me!" he spluttered.

Sally squealed like a six year old on Christmas morning." Oh my god! You guys are dating? I'm so happy! I mean it's about time . . ." and so on.

Percy and Annabeth just stared at us in horror.

"No," she murmured, almost to herself, "That's not right . . ."

I was beginning to see I had made a mistake. I had better fix it, or they'll hate me until they really start dating.

"I'm sorry," I said quickly, interrupting the ranting and rambling," I made a mistake. I apologize."

Sally, and for some reason Grover who had just been yelling at them, looked crestfallen.

"So," she said uncomfortably," You guys, aren't dating?"

Mutely they shook their heads. They didn't seem to be able to look at each other. Oh no. I hope I didn't just ruin their friendship. That would be a really bad way to start our relationship.

Sensing my internal dilemma, Grover quickly made a comment about school, and we all gratefully seized on the topic. I made arrangements to get Percy into Goode, the school where I worked, and everyone eased up a bit. But Percy and Annabeth still couldn't look or talk to each other. Crap.

I tapped Grover on the shoulder, discretely, as he and Annabeth were getting their coats on.

"Ummm, Grover? About what I said before . . ."

He smiled reassuringly at me." Don't worry about it Paul. You only did what anyone else would do and has done. They'll be back to normal in a few days. Thing is, they really like each other, but there are . . . complications. Plus, they are both really dense in that particular area."

We watched Sally fussing over Annabeth, with Percy looking at the floor, the ceiling, anywhere but Annabeth's face.

"I just hope they get together soon. The whole camp is getting annoyed," he said abruptly.

I stared at him in surprise.

Grover smiled again at my expression." I know I made a scene, but the truth is that I want them to be together almost as much as they do. They're my best friends and as long as they are happy, I'm happy. I was just pissed before because I'm supposed to know things like that and thought I couldn't tell."

"So you're good at reading people?"

"Yep. My one gift."

"That's why Percy asked you to check me out."

Grover looked at me sharply." Percy cares about his mom almost more than anyone else. You had better take good care of her. If you don't . . . Well, let me put it this way. Before she was dating you, Sally was married to a guy both she and Percy hated. He was cruel and abusive. Percy nicknamed him Smelly Gabe. One day he disappeared. If you go anywhere, talk to anyone; you'll never hear a word about Gabe Ugliano. TheJackson's have their own ways of taking care of each other. True story."

I gaped at him. Was that a threat?

"I'm just warning you," he said calmly," I know you're a really great guy and so does Percy, and Annabeth. And Sally, obviously," he added," Just be careful and don't mess up. Or prejudge anything unusual. Don't worry," he said patting me on the back," You'll be fine."

"Grover, come on, we have to go!" Annabeth's voice called us back to the present.

"I'm coming. Goodbye Paul, Sally. See you at camp Percy."

He winked and left.

Annabeth shifted uncomfortably,"Ummm, bye Sally, bye Paul."

Then she blushed slightly," Bye Percy, I'll see you at camp."

"Bye Annabeth." He was blushing too.

"IM me if any thing happens, okay Seaweedbrain?" she said, her stormy grey eyes flicking once to me, and then staring Percy straight in the face.

He cracked a grin and returned her gaze," Sure, and same goes to you Wisegirl."

Annabeth left, closing the door behind her.

Percy started towards his room, smiling to himself.

I looked at Sally. She glanced at me. Then we both burst out laughing.

Percy poked his head around the doorjamb looking confused.

"What? What are you guys laughing about?" which only made us laugh harder.

Shaking his head at our apparent foolishness, he disappeared again.

I looked over at Sally, and wondered if Percy saw the same thing when he looked at Annabeth, as when I looked at his mom. The most beautiful woman in the world.I'm betting yes.

She caught me staring and blushed." What?"

I grinned." Nothing."

* * *

><p><strong>Ta-Daaaaaaaa! <strong>

**Okay I think the next 4 will be while Percy is missing, so bring on the depression! Acctually, the first one will be where Annabeth goes, (or is forced,)**** to San Fransico to visit her dad. He lectures her, Annabeth thinks about Percy. Should she have a small talk with her stepmother? Review please and tell me.**

**The next is where she and Sally meet at Montauk. Sally always wanted a daughter.**

**The third is where Frank and Hazel learn a bit too much about Annabeth fom Percy. Who knew he could be such a chatterbox?**

**I love you, review please, unless you want me to die of neglect!**


	3. A Saint Indeed

GO FORWARD AND BE EATEN.

GO BACK AND REGRET IT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

NOT MUCH OF A CHOICE, IS IT?

**This is mostly a filler, but it's hard to write depressing stuff when your in a good mood.**

* * *

><p>Hazel stomped into the fifth cohort.<p>

"Frank," she called," my times up. It's your turn."

Frank looked up from the book he was reading, Everything to Know About Every Animal.

"It is not, you still have fifteen more minutes, and if you don't hurry back, he'll come in here looking for us."

"Please Frank, as a favor to your girlfriend; please take your turn early."

"Hazel," he said seriously. "I love you, but know amount of begging is going to make sit through an extra courter of a hour of Percy telling each and every second he's spent with the girl I'm now begging to think was a saint to put up with him."

Hazel sighed in defeat. Neither she nor Frank would have ever used the adjective, talkative, to describe their best friend, but that was before they had asked about Annabeth. Hazel had been a little annoyed that Percy had told Frank about his girlfriend and not her, and was surprised that he hadn't mentioned her before if she was all he remembered. Her annoyance and surprise had evaporated when Percy explained that the only reason he had told anybody about her was to see if she was there at camp, and upon learning that she was not decided that the best way to keep the few memories he had of her was to not tell anyone else until he found her. Then she had made the mistake of asking, since she would be there in a little while, what she was like. So he went off, telling them everything, the way she frowned and bit her lip a little bit when she was thinking, the way her eyes always changed different shades of grey when her moods changed, how they sparkled when she was happy, how she always kicked his butt at capture the flag and kissed him when he did something stupid and for luck before a battle, all the way down to exactly how many freckles she had, and her interest in architecture which he could not for the life of him understand, but liked to ask her questions about so she would start rambling and he could zone out and listen to her voice, and then she would get angry at him for not listening, but in the end she'd just laugh at his stuttered apologies and kiss him again . . . and so on.

At first Hazel thought it was very sweet and was a bit amazed he could love anyone so much. No wonder he had refused all those other girls. It also made her a bit sad, because learning about Annabeth made her realize how little she and Frank really knew about their friend outside ofCampJupiter. Then she started to get a little tired. She really wasn't interested in every little detail. But Percy just would not stop. And when he had started telling them everything that had to do with her from the moment he met her, Hazel realized that anything short of being rude or Annabeth coming, wasn't going to be able to get him to stop. Under normal circumstances, she would have been thrilled to hear what had happened before she and Frank had met Percy, but he talked so fast, you could only catch random snatches.

Hazel and Frank had tried to talk Dakota, Reyna and even Octavian, into listening for a while, but they had all said the same thing: He's your best friend and you asked him.

So they had decided to take turns, switching off every hour until that blessed moment when Percy's clearly amazing, and like Frank said, saint like, girlfriend came to relive them of their burden.

"Come on Haze, it can't be much longer," Frank said, putting a comforting arm around her shoulders, "Just fifteen more minutes. Then hopefully they'll have come and I won't have to take the next shift."

"If I pay you will you do it?" Hazel asked, her voice slightly muffled because she had turned her face into his strong shoulder.

He laughed and kissed the top of her head.

"Sorry, I don't really count cursed jewels an adequate payment for giving up precious moments of sanity.

Suddenly, Percy poked his head around the doorjamb.

"Hey, where did you guys go? I was just telling you about . . ." his voice trailed off and he blushed as we looked at him, "Ah, umm, well, I'll just, uhh, leave now " he mumbled and he backed out muttering, "If they wanted to be alone they could've told me . . ."

Frank and Hazel looked at each other.

"We should have tried that a long time ago."

"It would have saved everyone a massive headache," Frank agreed, and leaned down to kiss her.

Then Percy burst back into the room, and ignoring the situation entirely, grabbed them both by their hands and dragged them outside crying happily, "They're here! They're finally HERE!"

"Yep," Frank muttered, "definitely a saint."

* * *

><p><strong>This tecnically happens before my other two, but it was necessary to my immediet health. By the way, if Leo catches on fire every time he gets excited, what's gonna happen when a girl finally kisses him? That'll be interesting to see.<strong>


	4. After Gaea is defeated

GO FORWARD AND BE EATEN.

GO BACK AND REGRET IT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

NOT MUCH OF A CHOICE, IS IT?

**This isn't exactly a chapter, but I need a bit more time before I can post anything else and this is pretty straight forward.**

* * *

><p>After Gaea is defeated, Percy and Annabeth go first to Percy's house to reassure his mom and Paul that they are alive and well, and then return home to Camp Half-blood. They build a city like the Romans, only Greek, for any Demigods that want to stay safe and have a normal job and start a family. Eventually, after they are done with school, they live there too. They do visit Camp Jupiterand the mortal world regularly.<p>

Piper and Leo also go back to Camp Half-blood, but they become almost, ambassadors to Camp Jupiter, so they spend most of their time there. Plus they don't like being away from Jason and Reyna for too long.

Jason reasserts himself as Praetor, and though he does occasionally visit the other Camp, his life really is with the Romans.

Hazel and Frank basically do the same as Leo and Piper. After all, connections and cooperation between the two Camps is essential. They learn a lot from each other and are able to support each other in times of need.

One time Rachel came along to Camp Jupiter. She had a long talk with Octavian and when he came out of it, he didn't talk to anyone for a week. After that he hardly ever said anything against the Greeks, but worshipped Rachel and followed her around like an obedient puppy dog. Though they made no comment, not wanting to break the spell, everyone was quite amused. Surprisingly, Reyna became good friends with Rachel, and many other friendships and romances sprang up between the Romans and Greeks.

* * *

><p><strong>If you want an explanation of what happens to anyone else or you have any other questions, please review and tell me and I will post my answeres as soon as possible.<strong>


	5. What does that mean?

GO FORWARD AND BE EATEN.

GO BACK AND REGRET IT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

NOT MUCH OF A CHOICE, IS IT?

**Okay, I give up. I can't seem to do these in order and I'm not going to hold back on writing for you guys just bacause I can't find inspiration for one chapter. This isn't exactly a filler, but it doesn't really have much impact.**

* * *

><p>"Dude, you guys are 17, it's just precautionary."<p>

"What do you think we're doing? We are not stupid, and you're not in charge of us."

Percy and Jason were arguing. Of course, everyone expected this; they were, after all not only naturally born that way, but were also trying to co-leader this, mission of the seven. No, the thing that had everyone else listening in on their whispered but still carrying conversation was what they were arguing about. This was that Percy and Annabeth were sleeping together. Not what you're thinking. I mean just lying next to each other in the same bed. Jason did not like this. At all.

Why? Maybe he was jealous because he and Piper weren't a real couple yet. Maybe he thought Athena would blast them all before they defeated Gaea. Maybe he really didn't think it was proper before they were married. Maybe Chiron put him up to it. Whatever the reason, he had decided to ask Percy to sleep in the boy's room with him, Leo and Frank, and to have Annabeth sleep in the girl's room with Piper and Hazel. Jason thought that was a perfectly reasonable request.

Apparently Percy did not.

So he and Jason had been arguing about it for the past 25 minutes. Percy was considering asking Annabeth to back him up, but figured, if she was going to help she would have done it already.

Suddenly Hazel looked up from watching Frank and Annabeth's chess game. They were both thrilled to have found worthy opponents whose style of playing they were not already familiar with.

"I don't get it," she said in a bewildered voice," What's the problem with them sleeping together? I mean, they've done it before."

Dead silence. Everyone froze.

Finally, Leo asked," Hazel, how old are you?"

Hazel grimaced.

"How long have I been alive, or how many years have passed since I was born?" she queried.

"The first one," Leo said gravely.

"Thirteen."

All the boys turned as one to the girls.

Annabeth looked at Piper and said calmly, "I think this is more your forte than mine, Piper."

Piper sputtered," What! Bu-but I can't-I don-don't know how-"her protests were cut short by the look on Annabeth's face.

"Fine," she grumbled, grabbing a still confused Hazel and dragging her out the door.

Annabeth looked back at the chess board.

"Checkmate!" she cried gleefully, and knocked Frank's king over.

Frank, who, after Hazel's announcement, had seemed to be in a state of shock, snapped out of it and groaned.

"Great, that's you 23, me 20. Just great."

"Dude," said Leo sniggering, "you are in so much trouble."

Percy and Jason looked at each other.

"I win," said Percy smirking.

Jason didn't object.

* * *

><p><strong>I know it doesn't make any sense, but I was thinking about it a lot and had to write it. By the way, does anyone know exactly what grinding means? Please review and tell me.<strong>


	6. Driving

GO FORWARD AND BE EATEN.

GO BACK AND REGRET IT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

NOT MUCH OF A CHOICE, IS IT?

**This is kind of a filler and it's really short but . . . I wanna write it.**

**To Mr. High-and-Almighty: I know basically what it means in context, but am lacking in details.**

* * *

><p>"All right, everyone in!" Percy said to his four friends and his girlfriend.<p>

Jason, Leo, Frank, Hazel and Piper all climbed into the car.

Annabeth however, stood her ground and put her hands on her hips.

"Why do you get to drive, Seaweedbrain?"

"Because," he said giving her a lopsided grin, "I've been driving longer than anyone else, and I'm the best at it."

"I want to drive," Annabeth told him, "And besides, I'm older than you,"

Percy frowned, "Only by two months, and the only way I'm letting you behind the wheel is if we are being chased by everything in Hades, and maybe not even then!"

"Burn," Leo muttered.

"You drive like my grandmother!" Annabeth cried, throwing her hands up in the air.

"Your grandmother is a fly in Zeus's head, and just because I stop at red lights does not mean I can't drive!"

"I," Piper said calmly, snatching the keys from Percy's hand "will be driving. You two," she said pointing at them, her voice becoming enchantingly persuasive, "are going to sit in the back with Leo in between you for the rest of the ride."

"What!" Leo cried.

Slightly dazed, the two lovers agreed and got in the car.

"Piiiipeeerrrr," Leo whined, "I don't want to sit between them!"

"You can move after you learn some new jokes that are actually funny."

"How are my jokes not funny?"

"Burn, Leo? Really?"

Leo humphed.

As Piper got in the drivers seat, Jason on the passenger's side murmured, "You are one dangerous girl."

"I know," Piper smirked as she started the ignition.

* * *

><p><strong>Burn? Get it? Get it? No? Oh well.<strong>

**I know I already did one this week, but it popped in my head and I couldn't ignore it.**

**Please review. Please with chocolate and books and all other holy things on top. Any comments, suggestions or even flames are appreciated.**


	7. Together

GO FORWARD AND BE EATEN.

GO BACK AND REGRET IT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

NOT MUCH OF A CHOICE, IS IT?

**ThankyouThankyouThankyou! Your guys's reviews totally made my week! And ahh, thank you for explaining.**

**I've always felt that, while Annabeth is the calm and rational one, she's still more likley to get more freaked out about this than Percy. He's a very family guy.**

* * *

><p>I opened the front door, stepped inside and flipped the switch to turn on the light. The first thing I saw was Annabeth kneeling in the entryway with her arms wrapped around her torso.<p>

"Annabeth! What's wrong? Are you hurt?" I cried, kneeling next to her and gripping her shoulders.

Her eyes were glazed, but the sound of my voice seemed to pull her out her shock.

"Percy?" she whispered in a hoarse voice.

"I'm here," I promised, "Annabeth, tell me what's wrong."

"I was throwing up earlier, so I went to the hospital."

I looked at her confused.

"So you're sick?"

She shook her head and tears sparkled in her eyes.

"No, worse. I'm pregnant."

"Uh, okay," was my intelligent response.

Then my reason caught up with me.

"Wait, why is that worse? That's much, much better."

She shook her head.

"No it's not. I can't do that. I can't be a mom. I don't know how to take care of someone like that. I don't know how to be patient and caring all the time. What if the baby gets hurt or killed because of me? What if we die and there is no one left to take care of it? We're Demigods Percy. I can't be sure that won't happen. I don't know anything about kids. What if it ends up hating me? I can't do that. I couldn't stand that. I can-"

I pulled her to my chest, muffling her voice. Her fists clenched in my shirt.

"Shhh. It's not going to be like that." I said stroking her hair, "Of course you'll be fine. And it's not like we won't have any help. My mom, Paul, Chiron, all our friends are going to be there. If we do die, they'll take care of it. But we are not going to die and the baby will love you. We'll be all right and so will it. Besides, considering how it will grow up, it'll probably be able to kill any monster before it can talk. And we'll help it. Together."

Annabeth thought about that for a minute.

Then I said quietly, "I want you to have the baby, Wisegirl."

"Yeah," she murmured. Then she kissed me.

"Yeah."

* * *

><p><strong>I know these are getting shorter, but there are so many idea's . . . The mark of athena will be very long, but that won't be for a while.<strong>

**Here is another question. If Leo catches fire whenever he gets excited, what's going to happen when a girl finally likes him? Should I do one about that with Reyna?**

**Normally I don't update this much, so I feel like I am luring you into a false sense of security. Sorry.**


	8. What the HELL?

GO FORWARD AND BE EATEN.

GO BACK AND REGRET IT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

NOT MUCH OF A CHOICE, IS IT?

**Kyle is Percy's and Annabeth's first child. It is my very personal opinion that they had eight kids. Kyle and Lalita, the first two have black hair and grey eyes. Simon and the youngest, Navi, have black hair and green eyes. Simon is the third and looks exactly like Percy. Liam is the fourth and Anjou is the seventh and they both have blonde hair and green eyes. The twins come in between Liam and Anjou, they are blondes with grey eyes and are as smart as their mother. Their names are Carlos and Jenna. Liam and Simon are very over protective of Anjou and Navi, respectively. Only Kyle, Liam and Jenna married, but it was true love. Lalita had a succession of boyfriends but then joined the hunt. Simon and Navi actually worked and lived together, they were closer than twins. Carlos was too wrapped up in his work for much romance. Anjou ended up working for Posiden and was very happy. But this is just my personal opinion.**

* * *

><p>This couldn't be right.<p>

This **COULDN'T **be right.

Elysium was supposed to be like a heaven.

**THIS WAS NOT HEAVEN.**

No. The disgusting, impossible . . . scene . . . could not be right.

I cannot believe I left my family and friends for this. Okay so _they _were my family also, but I am referring to my living relatives. Not the dead ones.

All I wanted to do was die peacefully and then come down here to Elysium to find my beautiful Simona, and then quietly spend the rest of eternity with her, down here. Or at least until I got bored and decided to be reborn.

But that was interrupted when the first thing I see when entering Elysium, is my parent, at sixteen, making out. Very heavily, I might add. When you are young, your parents' kissing is disgusting and unmentionable, because you just can't see them that way. It doesn't get any better when you get older either. So when I saw my sixteen year old mom straddling my equally and disturbingly young dad and running her hands over his chest, and him sticking his tongue in her mouth, my natural reaction was, EEEWWWW!

What?

You can't honestly say you wouldn't have done the same with your parents in that situation.

So I did the natural thing.

Sending a silent plea of forgiveness to my children who had to watch while I kissed my wife, I walked right up to them, planted my feet firmly on the ground and said very loudly,

"What the HELL are you doing!"

Surprised, they looked up and then smiled when they saw it was just me.

Before, I never really got what people were talking about when they said Simon looked like my dad. Now, remembering what Simon had looked like at sixteen, I understood what they meant. And let me tell you, seeing your own father look exactly the same as your younger brother who you used to tease and torture every day is very disconcerting

"Hey Kyle, we thought you might be down here soon, so we decided to meet you," he said in a very unconvincing innocent voice.

I snorted.

"Yeah right. And what happened? You look so . . ." I trailed off, gesturing to their teenage bodies.

"Apparently," my mom said in her all knowing voice, "when you die and come down here, your spirit takes the shape of your body when it was most alive. For us, that was when we were sixteen. That's why you look about twenty."

I stared down at myself. She was right. And to think I missed them when they died at ninety four!

"So I'm younger than my parents. Great. Absolutely fabulous."

"Don't worry, it's a bit confusing at first, but you'll get used to it. We did anyway," mom said, looking back down at my dad and smiling, "Didn't we, Percy?"

"Oh, indeed Annabeth. Very used to it," he murmured and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her down for another kiss.

I decided to leave them to it, so making sure they didn't see my face,(I wouldn't put it past my mother to lecture me even if I do look older than her,) I backed down the hill and went looking for Simona.

When I finally saw, her I realized that as long as I got to kiss her, I didn't care if the whole world was watching.

* * *

><p><strong>If I have offended or contridicted anyone, I apologize.<strong>

**pLEASEpLEASEpLEASE review people! You're the only thing keeping me going at this point.**


	9. Scars

GO FORWARD AND BE EATEN.

GO BACK AND REGRET IT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

NOT MUCH OF A CHOICE, IS IT?

**Percy and Annabeth are good, but not that good. Besides, he isn't always invincible.**

* * *

><p>Percy was in the changing room at Goode, for theee . . . third, fourth? . . . School year in a row (keep up the good work Percy!) when his friend on the swim team, Theo, whistled.<p>

"Dude, what happened to you? You look like some crazy person attacked you with a knife."

Percy looked down at himself.

He had three, long, diagonal scars across his back that were from a lucky hellhound, and two thin ones running over his chest, one from his left shoulder to his right hip and the other going straight over his stomach, intersecting with the first on his left ribcage. There was also one where his mortal point used to be, a tiny circular scar on the small of his back. They had all been too big to be completely healed with nectar, and Percy thought it was pointless to heal them in water. Like the gray streak in his hair, they were signs of war, and he wore them with pride.

"Ummm, cat and a lawn mower?" he tried to say, but it sounded more like a question.

Theo stared at him.

"A cat and a lawn mower? You seriously expect me to believe that shit?"

"It would make things easier if you did," Percy mumbled. Louder he said, "Trust me Theo; it will be better if you don't ask."

"You're messed up Percy Jackson," he said shaking his head, "but you wouldn't be my friend if you weren't."

As they walked out of the changing room, Theo muttered to Percy, "Someday you _will _tell me how you got those."

Smirking, Percy replied, "Don't count on it."

* * *

><p>"OH MY GOD!" Annabeth's friend Cara screeched.<p>

Jumping and grabbing her jeans with her knife in them, Annabeth scanned the changing room for the unlucky monster that dared attack her when she was wearing nothing but a bra and underwear.

Relaxing when she saw nothing but a few curious stares, she hissed, "What the hell Cara! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Cara stared at her.

"You . . . you're all . . ." as she gestured wordlessly to Annabeth's tan body, Annabeth realized what she was getting at.

"Oh that. Don't worry, their nothing," she said, dismissing the long scar that ran from her right ankle, up her hip, across her back to the back of her neck, over her shoulder and down between her breasts, marring the skin on her flat stomach and over her left hip on her leg. Also the one on her arm, curtsey of Ethan Nakumura, and her own stupidity.

"Nothing!" cried Cara, "You look like someone used you as a knife sharpener, and you say it's nothing!"

"Shh, keep your voice down," Annabeth snapped, quickly pulling her shirt over her head.

"Annabeth, what happened to you?" Cara asked quietly.

"It was just an accident," she assured her friend, "Really, it's nothing to worry about."

"But how did it happen?"

Mentally, Annabeth sighed. Percy had often had complained about having to lie to his mortal friends, but it hadn't bothered her until now.

"I really can't tell you that," she said through gritted teeth.

Cara stared at her. Then she sighed.

"If I drop it now, will you promise to tell me someday?"

Annabeth smiled.

"Nope."

"I didn't think so," Cara muttered.

* * *

><p>The thing is, nobody other then the other, would ever know where all Percy's and Annabeth's scars had come from. When they were making out for example, and certain articles of clothing got removed, the other would never wonder where they came from. Because they were both there when it happened.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>IT'S SO SHORT! And pointless. Oh well. RRREEEVVVIIIEEEWWW!<strong>


	10. Whipped Dead

GO FORWARD AND BE EATEN.

GO BACK AND REGRET IT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

NOT MUCH OF A CHOICE, IS IT?

**Hehehe. Yes, I'm afraid after I couldn't think what to write, I just gave up and let inspiration take me to whatever point in they're lives it want's to go.**

**Fiiiiiiiinnnne. But this is mostly percabeth.**

**Well, I did promise you guys some Beckalina.**

* * *

><p>Before I tell you about this, I am going to make one point very clear. Nothing, I repeat, <em>nothing,<em> can stop an Aphrodite girl on a mission. Got that? Okay, on with the story.

It was a beautiful day in Elysium. Or at least as beautiful as it can get with no sky and knowing that you're dead. Fortunately, I had my amazing, not to mention breathtakingly gorgeous, girlfriend next to me watching me work, to make up for that. Selena was sitting on the table next to the anvil, swinging her legs and chatting about nothing of real consequence. But it didn't matter. Because I thought her voice was as pretty as the rest of her, and we were together. So it _was _beautiful. Then Nico came into my forge. Did you know they have state of the art forges in Elysium? I didn't think so. Well they do. H-2000, designed by Hepheatsus himself.

So Nico slouched in, looking all moody and depressed, for a change. Note the sarcasm people. He actually comes down here a lot, to hang out, or train, and he usually brings news of the outside world. I've met his sister too, and she's pretty nice. But still, for a 19 year old son of the Underworld, he looked pretty damn pissed.

"Hey man," I said, and wiped my greasy hands on a cloth, stepping back to better view the wicked machine I was building. It was going to be a Pegasus automaton with hidden weapons and the ability to fold itself into a speedboat, but right now, it looked more like the contents of a junkyard. It's actually quite surprising how much people will pay for things made by the dead, because it really doesn't make the least bit of difference. Though it is nice to know we're appreciated.

"What's up?"

"Hey Nico! What's wrong? You seem really down," Selena said.

"Do I?" asked Nico, miserably.

"Yes. Did you get in a fight? Was it with one of your cousins? Was it over a girl?" Selena asked interestedly.

"Sort of. Yes. Not really. My dearest cousin, who apparently thinks I'm the son of Hermes or something, is making me deliver all the wedding invitations, just because I can shadow travel."

"OH MY GODS! Who is it! Who's getting married!" Selena screamed, "Is it Jason and Piper! Did Thalia break her oath! Why didn't you mention this before!"

"Of course Thalia didn't break her oath! It's Percy and Annabeth, and the only reason he got me into this is because Annabeth scares me and Percy says I owe him for not telling him about everything when he was at Camp Jupiter, but I say-"

"WHAT!" Selena jumped down from the table and screamed in Nico's face.

"PERCY AND ANNABETH ARE ENGAGED?"

"Yes, apparently for a while now, but they're only getting married recently . . ."

Selena's face was quite a sight. I thought for a second that she might start breathing fire.

"LET ME GET THIS SRAIGHT. The couple I have been waiting for, for twelve years, is getting married, AND THEY DIDN'T BOTHER TO INVITE ME!"

I thought it might be time to step in before Nico wet his pants.

"Uhh, 'Lena, we're dead, so I'm guessing it wasn't high on their priority list," I said, quite sensibly. To me at least.

"THAT IS NO EXCUSE! I'VE WAITED FOR TOO LONG TO LET SOMETHING LIKE THIS SLIDE."

She grabbed Nico's hand and dragged him towards the door.

"Come on Charlie," she commanded, "I need you too."

"What for?" I asked a little worriedly. I had never seen her so mad. Not even when they canceled her favorite soap on T.V.

"You are going to come with me and beat up Percy. Then you will be my escort to the wedding," she said grimly.

I stared at her.

"But, Selena, we're dead. We can't leave the Underworld. I'm sure if we were alive we would have gotten an invite, but-"

"No! No buts. Nico here is going to take us and all of our heavily armed and dead friends who also want to go, up to the earth and we are going to crash that wedding."

"But, but Selena, I can't- you can't make me-" Nico started babbling.

Selena grabbed his collar and pulled him down to her level.

"Watch-me," she said, enunciating each word.

Gulping, Nico nodded.

"Let's go Charlie," she barked back to me.

In my mind I weighed years of friendship with Percy and Annabeth. Of course, it wasn't their fault they didn't see this coming. It would have been nice to be invited for their wedding; we were after all, the people who had supported them the most. Selena even came up with a nickname for them, Percabeth. But, we were dead. Gone. We weren't supposed to be parts of their lives anymore. And the time we sent Nico to them with a message saying to stop moping over our deaths and get on with their lives doesn't even count.

Then I looked at Selena. She had never looked so terrifying. Or more beautiful in my opinion.

"Coming," I sighed, as I went to go beat up one of my best friends for my girlfriend. On his wedding day. With a bunch of undead warriors in tow.

Well, at least I like cake.

* * *

><p><strong>I have an idea for tratie and leyna, but I need ideas for jasper and frazle.<strong>

**REVIEW! Please? (Puppydog face)**


	11. Piper outsmarts Athena

GO FORWARD AND BE EATEN.

GO BACK AND REGRET IT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

NOT MUCH OF A CHOICE, IS IT?

**Yes, well, I had to. Although I think my favorite one is called 52: The Best Thing, I had to do this little number of how it should happen right after they defeat Gaea. They are currently in the throne room om the Mt. Olympus in Greece and exausted. Piper to the rescue!**

**This is a quote from A Countess Below Stairs: - who had known him since his birth saw in the new lines around his eyes, the skin streached tight across the cheekbones, the price paid by those who forced themselves against their deepest nature, to excel at war.**

* * *

><p><strong><span>Annabeth POV<span>**

I was sitting on the edge of one of those old fashioned reclining couches with Percy's head in my lap. I thought he was asleep,(having defeated Gaea in about half an hour, we were a bit tired,) and I was slowly stroking his hair and about to nod off myself, when he opened his eyes and looked at me.

"Hey Annabeth?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you marry me?"

I froze. I literally couldn't move. That was the very last thing I had expected.

"Not now, I mean, we have to finish school first, well you have to, anyway," he amended.

That woke me up.

"You're finishing school too Seaweedbrain," I said severely.

"Fine, but when we're done with school, will you marry me?"

I didn't even have to think about it.

"Yes Percy, I'll marry you. Now go to sleep, you look half dead, and I need rest too."

"I wonder why," he muttered, but he smiled.

I was almost asleep, again, when Percy muttered," Make sure your Mom doesn't blast me, 'kay?"

I almost laughed, "I promise I won't let her hurt you."

And we fell asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Piper POV<strong>

I wove my way through the crow and ended at the edge of the throne room and spotted Percy and Annabeth resting on a couch.

I was about to call out to them when I stopped. I had just noticed something. They looked very . . . old. There were premature lines on their faces and the grey streaks had never been more prominent.

I realized with a jolt, that this was the second time they had been pushed into winning a war for the gods.

They're barely 18, I thought, and yet the gods have been messing with their lives more than anyone else's.

I had to do something. I had to find my mother.

Quickly, I hurried away. I must have gone around the room three times already, before I found her laughing with Demeter.

"Mom, can I talk to you for a second. Privately," I added, when Demeter looked curious.

"Of course dear."

She led me away from the throne room and stopped in a pavilion outside.

"What's wrong?"

I looked at her seriously.

"Look, I know you want Percy and Annabeth to have this big, tragic romance, but I want you to stop. Stop messing with their lives. You and the other gods. I mean, they've done and gone through so much already. They are my friends, and I can't bear to see them so sad. They already look so old and tired for their age. They should be going on dates and worrying about homework, not traveling all over the world trying to stop a war and keep the person they love."

After my little speech, I held my breath, waiting.

Aphrodite sighed. "I suppose, in light of recent events, I could let them off the hook. But really Piper," she said, her eyes lighting up," You should consider the wonderful beginning they've already made. They could be the most famous love story of the century! The one people will talk about for ages, the one that will make all the others pale in comparison."

"I know mother," I said as understandingly as I could," But all the romance stories people seem to remember best, they always put the characters through such drama that there is never a real happy ending for them. But a happy ending is just what these two deserve."

"All right," my mother said almost sulkily," I won't bother them anymore. But," she added," that doesn't mean that their love lives will be perfect from now on. They can mess up plenty by themselves."

I smiled, "I know they can. But I also know," I continued," that they'll always make up in the end."

Aphrodite smiled too," That is very true."

She kissed me on my cheek.

" I'm proud of you _fille_. But you must invite me to their wedding. And yours."

"Mooom!"

"So how is Jason anyway?" she asked winking.

I blushed and we went back inside_._

* * *

><p>When we walked into the room, I spotted Athena starting towards the sleeping forms of Percy and Annabeth. She looked murderous and unfortunatelly had a spear in her hand.<p>

"Uh oh," I muttered and hurried to intercept her.

"Hi, Lady Athena," I said giving her my most winning smile and effectivly blocking her way, making her stop short. She glared at me.

"I know what you are doing, Piper McLean, daughter of Aphrodite," she warned, "do not try to protect them. This has gone on long enough. It isn't safe, it isn't natural, and it will only hurt them in the end. It is not wise to take such risks."

"But, Lady Athena, they love each other more than anything!" I cried desperately. "Annabeth was the only thing keeping Percy mortal, and she was what he rememberd and loved enough to keep going when Hera took all his other memories away! Annabeth's gone through Hell, literally, for Percy, and she can't be right without him! They are strong enough to take all that and still be happy!"

"Even strength has to bow to wisdom," Athena told me.

"Maybe so," I said bravely, even though I was shaking inside, "but even wisdom has to bow to love. Love does bring pain and misery, but all the happiest moments in our lives are because of some form of love. Those two will never love anyone or anything as much as each other, so if they are apart, they will never be really happy. In a way, isn't that its own kind of wisdom?"

Athena looked at me.

I flattered myself in thinking I had rather impressed her.

Slowly she lowered her spear.

"You are very wise and courages for a Aphrodite girl. Very well. I will not interfere. But," she added, fingering her weapon, "if he hurts or disrespects my daughter, or gets her pregnant before they are married, he will wake one day to find this spear stuck through his heart." With that, she burt into a colum of flame and vanished.

Okay then.

* * *

><p><strong>I've always seen Piper as a kind of protector of Percy's and Annabeth's love, because she is their friend and is still sensible and a daughter of Aphrodite. <strong>

**So . . .**

**REVIEW!**

**Or else I won't update.**


	12. Blue? Really?

GO FORWARD AND BE EATEN.

GO BACK AND REGRET IT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

NOT MUCH OF A CHOICE, IS IT?

**Ahhhh! I love all you guys who reviewed! Thank you, thank you, thank you! (she bowes and kisses your feet.) May the gods bless you all!**

* * *

><p>"AAAAAHHHHHHHH!" screamed Leo as he ran into the Zeus cabin, crashing into Jason.<p>

"What the fuck, Leo!" Jason shouted, or tried to, because he was currently one with the carpet. "Get off me!"

"Dude, you've got to hide me," Leo cried desperately, jumping off his best friend and looking around frantically.

Jason sat up, rubbing his bruised nose.

"Why, what did you do?" he asked suspiciously.

"That is not something you need to know," Leo said, still searching the room for a place to hide. Seriously, wasn't there any thing other than giant mean looking statues in here? "All you need to know is that your crazy girlfriend is going to kill me."

"Piper isn't my girlfriend," Jason mumbled, a little sadly.

"Look, the fact that you two can't acknowledge your feelings for each other is beside the point. The problem is tha-"

"VALDEZ!"

"Damn it," Leo whimpered.

"Uh, there is a back door . . ." Jason offered.

"No, it's too late for that. She's here," Leo said, cowering behind him, "tell my family I love them, and it was me who accidently jammed the toaster."

"LEO VALDEZ, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" Piper screamed, storming into the cabin.

"Whoa there Piper," Jason said, stepping between his best friend and his sort of girlfriend, "What exactly did Leo do?"  
>"He," Piper fumed, pushing her hair back and raising her knife, "along with the Stoll brothers, in some base attempt to cheer her up, <em>dyed Annabeth's hair blue.<em>"

Jason gaped at her.

"Blue?" he finally choked out, "they dyed her hair blue? Where are the Stoll's?"

"They," Piper said impatiently, "are being hunted down by Annabeth herself. Now move aside so I can kill him."

Leo whimpered again.

"Umm, I don't think I should let you kill my best friend," Jason said uncomfortably. Leo cheered silently.

Piper eyed him.

"Blue was Percy's favorite color," she said finally.

Jason looked at her. Then he looked at Leo. Then he looked back at her.

"Don't hurt him too bad," he pleaded, and then stepped away.

"Damn you Jason," Leo cried, running for the door, "I thought you were my friend!"

"All is fair in love and war!" Jason shouted after the two.

They kept up like that until Leo tripped over Nico while he was napping under a tree. Nico was not happy.

By the end of the day, almost everyone at camp was chasing after him, including his siblings who were shouting things like, "My toast! How could you!" They eventually caught him and tied him to a spinning wheel to use as target practice.

Watching this from his cabin window, Jason wondered vaguely if he should go and stop them. Leo was his best friend, after all.

Nahh.

* * *

><p><strong>I love Leo! I know this is short and sort of light and airy, but the next one will also be short and not be light or airy.<strong>


	13. Hands

GO FORWARD AND BE EATEN.

GO BACK AND REGRET IT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

NOT MUCH OF A CHOICE, IS IT?

**Okay, I feel as though I should aplogize for all the mistakes in my earliar chapters. It's so embarassing reading my own story and seeing all the awful spelling and grammer. I'm sorry. Yes, this is short too. But I really wanted to write it. I did consider having them both die, but it would really ruin my reputation. Sigh. I guess I will have to save the line,_ and quietly, peacefully, they died, _for another story. Oh well.**

* * *

><p>He was somewhere between life and death, not really conscious.<p>

_Why don't they just kill me, _he wondered, _please, let them kill me._

Death was better than this.

He was vaguely aware of the cuffs cutting into his wrists, pulling his arms up, and of the hard stone floor under his knees.

The dark was pressing in on him, trying to take him.

He didn't really register the sound of the door opening, or the slice of flesh and the thump of a body hitting the floor.

He only realized that there was someone in the room, besides him and the now dead guard, when a hand touched his face.

The hand was rough like his from years of fighting, but slender and very warm.

If he could move, he might have cried, because nothing that made him feel so good, so warm, would ever agree to kill him.

The hand stroked his face, and then moved down his chest while another brushed the skin next to the cuffs.

There was a grating sound of clashing metal and the cuffs fell off.

He slumped to the ground, to weak to control his own body.

The hands rolled him over, gripping his hair, shaking him, trying to get him to move.

With the last bit of his strength, he forced his eyes open half way to see the blurry outline of blonde curls and stormy grey eyes.

Storms.

Raining.

It was raining.

He could feel drops of water falling on his face, so it must be raining.

That's why he saw storm clouds.

The last thing he heard was a siren, crying to the storm.

Then the blackness engulfed him.

* * *

><p>Percy opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the ceiling. That couldn't be right. He was captured, imprisoned in a dark and lonely cell, half dead. Not lying in his bed at the house he shared with Annabeth. But he was.<p>

"Percy?"

He looked around and saw Annabeth standing next to the bed, staring at him with wide eyes.

"I-I thought . . . I thought you were going to . . ." she swallowed, rubbing her bloodshot eyes and swaying slightly.

Wordlessly, he held out a hand. She took it and he rubbed his thumb across her rough, warm, palm. Percy pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her waist and hugging her to his chest. She gripped his waist with her knees and twisted her hands in his shirt, shivering violently. Not crying, just shaking uncontrollably. He gently traced her spine under her shirt, holding her until she recovered from the shock.

Then they slept.

* * *

><p><strong>Wow. That was . . .sad. Sadder than I expected. Sorry.<strong>

**Next week is Leyna, so, Review!**


	14. Too Hot

GO FORWARD AND BE EATEN.

GO BACK AND REGRET IT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

NOT MUCH OF A CHOICE, IS IT?

**Ta daaaaa! My first Leyna. This isn't the one where they kiss, but it will come. Give it time.**

* * *

><p>Propped up on numerous pillows in an abandoned hotel room the demigods were using as a base, Reyna glared at her legs. They were all wrapped up and splinted, but she couldn't walk. How was she supposed to lead the roman army if she couldn't walk? The war was over and she had to take everyone back to Camp Jupiter, and figure out who the other Praetor was, and a whole bunch of other stuff. She couldn't afford to be bedridden, not now when her people really needed her.<p>

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," she mumbled, annoyed.

"Hey," Leo popped his head in.

"Heard you got hurt. You okay?"

"I'm fine," she muttered through gritted teeth.

Leo came in and perched on the end of the bed.

"You don't look okay," he said pointedly, "your legs are busted and you look mad as hell right now."

"Well I'm fine!" I snapped.

We were silent for a moment. I was expecting him to make a stupid comment or joke to lighten the mood, but he didn't.

"What's it to you,Valdez?" I finally asked angrily.

"I don't want or need your sympathy. If you don't have anything to say, then get out."

"Sheesh, all I wanted to do is see if you were okay, I didn't come to be yelled at," he grumbled.

"Well if you really want the truth, I'm pissed because I'm supposed to be leading my warriors back home in victory, not stuck here, unable to do anything!"

"Well if that's the only problem, you could ask _me _for help. That's what I'm here for after all, _querida._"

"What do you mean by help, Valdez, and why do you call me _querida _all the time? What's it mean?"

Ignoring her second question, Leo cocked his head and asked, "Do you want my help or not?"

Reyna pursed her lips and thought about it.

"Yes. As long as it isn't humiliating."

Grinning, Leo held out his arms.

"What are you-"

He swept her up and proceeded to carry her bridal style out of the room.

"Ahhh, damn it Valdez, put me down!' Reyna cried.

Leo looked at her and saw her face was white with pain from her legs, and she was gripping his shirt.

"Sorry _querida_," he said, shifting her so her legs wouldn't jostle.

"Ohh, just take me to the leaders of all the cohorts, if you insist on helping," Reyna growled.

Leo ferried her around as she discussed organization with everyone, from deciding exactly when they should leave, and how, to the proper way to bury the dead and treat the wounded. Leo was impressed with her leadership skills, and said so.

"Shut up Valdez," Reyna said, blushing.

Leo smiled at her. He noticed how perfectly she fit in his arms, her small body curled snuggly to his chest.

As the day wore on, Reyna noticed Leo getting sweaty and quiet, panting slightly. His chest had waves of heat coming off through the thin material of his tee shirt, effectively warming her in the chilly air. He had already shed his jacket.

"I'm sorry," Reyna said guiltily, "I know I must be heavy and you've been carrying me all day."

"That's not the problem," he said frowning, a look of in intense concentration on his face, "you are actually really light, and I'm not tired." He smiled weakly. "Naw, the Supreme Commander of the Argo II is tougher than that." Then his face furrowed again.

"Then what's the problem?" Reyna asked softly.

"I'm not sure," he muttered desperately.

Reyna reached out and gently rubbed in between his eyebrows, trying to smooth out the worry line there.

"Great Belladonna, you're burning up," Reyna cried, "you must have a fever!"

Leo's eyes widened.

"Not a fever," he said, looking around frantically. Then his eyes fell on her in his arms, and his face went pale under the heat flush.

"Crap," he whispered, "Sorry, but I have to put you down."

He gently lowered Reyna onto a park bench, and then took off at a dead run.

"Leo wait!" Reyna called.

"I'll send someone else to get you!" he yelled back over his shoulder and then he was gone, leaving Reyna looking stunned and confused at his ashy footprints in the dead grass. What had she done?

* * *

><p>"This is going to hurt," Annabeth said.<p>

Percy grimaced. "Just do it fast."

"Ow," he howled as she popped his arm back in its socket.

"That's what you get for thinking you can take on a giant all by yourself," Annabeth said sternly, but she gently massaged the sore joint before handing Percy a square of ambrosia.

"Thanks," he muttered, abashed.

"Hey guys," Jason said walking into the room.

"Percy, could you do me a favor and check on Leo?"

Percy looked at him, startled.

"I could," he said slowly, "but why do you need me to do it, and where is he?"

"That's actually the same question. I just saw him, burning like a bonfire, run into the ocean, cursing Aphrodite at the top of his voice."

Percy and Annabeth stared at him.

"Why did he do that?" Percy finally asked.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "If he knew that, would he be asking you to look for him?" she asked with fond exasperation.

"I don't know," said Jason, cutting off Percy's reply. It was usually best to head those two off before they really got into it. "But could you do it?"

"Sure," Percy said standing up, "I'm on it."

"Don't strain your arm," Annabeth cautioned as he kissed her on the cheek and the two boys left the room.

* * *

><p>After a large and buff Greek girl named Nyssa, sent by Leo, towed her back to the encampment, Reyna positioned a laptop on the bed next to her. She went to an EnglishSpanish translator website and typed, _querida _into the little search box in the corner.

"Oh," was all she said when the English word appeared on the screen.

* * *

><p><strong>Heeheeheeheeheehee! (continues to giggle evily.) Bet you thought I was gonna tell you what it means. Well wrong! If you don't know, look it up.<strong>

**By the way, Leo was trying very hard not to burst into flames, but he didn't know what was causing it. If he wasn't trying so hard to contain it, he wouldn't get overheated. Just in case you didn't get that.**

**Review and tell me what it means.**

**Review if you love this!**

**Review if you hate this!**

**Review if you don't give a fuck!**

**Review just to get me to shut up about reviewing!**


	15. Blackjack's Promise

GO FORWARD AND BE EATEN.

GO BACK AND REGRET IT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

NOT MUCH OF A CHOICE, IS IT?

**This is my first Annabeth being sad while Percy is away, so go easy on me.**

* * *

><p>Annabeth steered Blackjack towards the ground in the middle of the woods. Right now, she was the only one who could ride him, he wouldn't let anyone else near, even to feed him.<p>

Annabeth really didn't want to hurry back to all her other friends and say _I didn't find Percy _again. When they landed, she slid off his back, but then crumpled to the ground, unable to summon any strength.

_Huh _she thought dully, trying to fight off the blackness hovering at the edge of her consciousness, _maybe I should have eaten something or gotten some rest. But if I did I would have to stop looking or building the ship, and if I did that, how will I find Percy?_

Thinking his name was like a knife to her heart, and the blackness engulfed her.

* * *

><p>I anxiously nuzzled the boss's unconscious girlfriend. She had just collapsed after dismounting and hadn't gotten up again. I heard her murmur the boss's name in her sleep and guessed she was missing him too. If he was here, what would he tell me to do for her? Take care of her, I guess. That was usually his top priority. Like when he went half way across the country when she was missing. And then when the Ethan guy stabbed her, he told me to get her out of there. I helped those times and I don't see why his instructions should stop, just because he isn't here. But should I go and get help, or stay?<p>

I looked at the boss's girlfriend. Hmmm. I really can't keep calling her that. If he's the boss, she is . . . mistress. Yes, that was good. A bit formal, but it works.

Mistress cried out the boss's name again and started shivering.

I lay beside her and covered her with one wing. She rolled over, pressing to my side for warmth, still unconscious. My poor mistress. She comes to see me often, taking care of me like the boss did.

I heard the pretty Aphrodite girl, the one who was good friends with mistress, talking to that crazy, oracle, Rachel, whatever you call her. She said mistress isn't eating a lot, or getting much sleep. If the boss was here, he could make her right.

I lay my head down beside mistress and decided to stay and protect her until she woke up. The boss had better come back soon. My mistress won't last much longer.

* * *

><p><strong>Yes, I know it is short. I love Blackjack, and he probably would do this.<strong>

**Review! Was it too sad, too sappy, what?**

**I have a couple more in mind, think of this as like a tester.**


	16. Because He Cares

GO FORWARD AND BE EATEN.

GO BACK AND REGRET IT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

NOT MUCH OF A CHOICE, IS IT?

**Hmmmmm. This is a bit sad. But I'm working on some happier stuff, so don't kill me.**

* * *

><p>"Percy?" Annabeth knocked on the door and called his name.<p>

He had just come back home from a fight and gone straight up to their bedroom without saying anything. Annabeth was determined to find out what was going on.

"Percy, I'm coming in," she said, and opened the door.

He was lying on his back on the bed, his arm covering his eyes.

Annabeth walked over and lay on her stomach next to him.

"What's wrong?" she murmured.

"I hate this," he muttered, "I hate that I like fighting, and that I'm good at it and that it gets people hurt and killed. I hate that something that brings me pleasure, makes so many people miserable. Everyday, other people's moms and friends mourn the people that I kill, and that could just as easily have been _me. _But it's not. It's them. And it's my fault."

Annabeth kept quiet while he said this. She had never really understood the compassion Percy felt for his enemies. It wasn't that she was coldhearted, but she was a warrior and the lives of people trying to kill the people she loved did not weigh heavily on her heart.

But Percy, although he did love the adrenalin rush from fighting, did not like taking lives. At all.

"I hate seeing the looks on their faces when I end their lives," he continued, "seeing the fear and pain on their faces."

Annabeth saw a single tear trace his cheek. She sat up and then leaned over to kiss the spot on his face where the tear fell, tasting the salt on her lips. Percy sat up too and rested his head in the crook of her neck, his hands curled in her lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck, stroking his hair. She held him as he cried for the lost lives on both sides. He held the fate of the world on his shoulders, and she held him.

* * *

><p><strong>I really didn't expect it to be so . . . short. Hopefully the next one will be longer.<strong>


	17. Incarcerated

GO FORWARD AND BE EATEN.

GO BACK AND REGRET IT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

NOT MUCH OF A CHOICE, IS IT?

**Someone just reminded me that this is called Be Happy. Oops. Hehe. (Dodges daggers) Okay, so some of the stories are bitter sweet. Please bear with me. But not this one! Go Leyna!**

* * *

><p>"Okay, I'll do the phone call and ask your girlfriend to-"<p>

"NOOO! We are not calling her! Call someone else."

Leo stared at him.

"I can't call someone else. She is the only one with a phone," he said reasonably.

Percy groaned. "Look, just don't call her."

Leo smirked.

"What, scared of your girlfriend?" he teased.

Percy raised one eyebrow.

"Oh, and your not? Maybe we should call Piper and Jason to bail us out."

"No! They would kill me if they found out I got arrested. It wouldn't be as bad as getting beat up by my girlfriend, but still not very pleasant."

"Well then that just leaves Hazel or Frank. It's not like they're going to yell at us."

"We can't. They're on a date today," Leo said miserably, "and there is no way of knowing where they are."

"All right," said a policeman, standing outside the holding cell, "one of you come out and make your bail call."

"Not Annabeth," Percy begged and pushed Leo forward.

"Fine," Leo grumbled. He had an idea of who he could call, but she might yell a bit too.

_It still wouldn't be as bad as Annabeth, Piper or Jason _he told himself. She was his last hope. That was the only reason.

So, ignoring the pleasurable fluttering in his stomach as he thought of her, he went to call Reyna.

* * *

><p>"Okay, your wife is here to pay the bail," the guard says as he looks at Percy.<p>

Percy choked and Leo's eyes went wide.

"My _what?_"

The guard opened the cell door and led us to the waiting room.

The first thing they saw was Annabeth, who was standing in the middle of the room with her arms crossed, her face contorted with fury. Angry energy rolled of her in waves, filling the room. Her wrath was directed at Percy who was currently trying to hide behind Leo.

"Perseus Jackson," she hissed through her teeth.

"Ummm, hey Annabeth," Percy laughed nervously, "What are you doing here?"

"WHAT AM I DOING HERE! WHAT ARE _YOU _DOING HERE! I was just working on my designs when Reyna called and said you and Leo were arrested and she was going to bail you out but she thought I should know and WHY THE HELL WERE YOU ARRESTED ANYWAY! Can't you go for ten minutes without getting in trouble!"

"Well, I, uh, um, Leo, why don't you t-tell her why we were arrested?" Percy stuttered.

"Ahh, no," Leo said, smiling apologetically, "I really don't want to get in the middle of this."

He stepped quickly out of the way and sauntered over to Reyna, who was leaning against the wall behind Annabeth, watching the couple's antics with amusement.

"I thought I asked you _not _to call Annabeth," Leo muttered to her, raising his eyebrows.

"Yes, well, she deserved to know. Besides, _someone_ needed to shout at you for this, and I can't do it. I just don't have the right. But why were you arrested?"

"Well it was Percy's fault really, he-"

"DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED I WAS WHEN I HEARD YOU AT THE POLICE STATION! DO YOU THINK THIS IS A GAME! YOU AREN'T INVINCIBLE ANYMORE, PERCY! YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL! YOU CAN'T JUST-"

She was cut off when Percy pulled her into a passionate kiss. Annabeth wrapped her arms around his neck and he hugged her close.

"Come on," Leo murmured to Reyna, who was staring at them making out, "let's leave them to it."

He pulled her out the door to the station and they walked down the street together.

"So, why did you _really_ get arrested," Reyna asked again.

"Well, like I said, it was mostly Percy's fault. He wanted to go into a jewelry store, just to see what an engagement ring looked like. I had to come along because he wants me to make the ring when we get back to camp."

"He's going to propose to Annabeth?" Reyna asked, interestedly.

"Actually, he already did. At the end of the giant war. But now they're twenty two, and he's done with school, so they are going to make it public, get a ring and tell their parents.

"So he was looking at the rings when I saw a really cool rock, and I wanted to get it for a girl I like, but I got a little excited and started smoking from the top of my head, and some things caught on fire, and Percy pulled the fire alarm, but the mist made everyone think we had caused the fire, so we got arrested," Leo said, very fast. He didn't mention what had really made him lose control, was the thought of presenting said jewel, with his own handmade chain along with it, to the girl he liked. He had actually been looking for the perfect gem to complete the necklace, but hadn't had much luck. There weren't too many chances of finding one where he lived, and he really couldn't afford something like that. And he was not going to ask Hazel, no sir. Cursing his major crush was not part of the game plan.

"So did you get the stone," Reyna asked carelessly.

"Yeah, I figured with a fire to worry about, they wouldn't miss it."

"Well, I wish you luck," she said, a bit coldly, "Gods know, you'll need it."

And she disappeared around a corner, leaving a confused Leo to his thoughts.

* * *

><p>Reyna was grooming Skippy when Leo walked into the stables like he owned the place. Normally, the Praetor doesn't have to groom their own pegasi, but she had found it very calming and peaceful in the stables. Until he came. She had been ignoring him since he had said there was girl he liked. Afterward she had realized that she had been stupid to think there was anything between them. He was perfectly allowed to ask out whoever he liked, she didn't care.<p>

So when he walked up to her as if nothing had happened, she resolved to treat him with the cold, faintly contemptuous air she gave everyone else.

"Hey Reyrey," he said easily.

"Leo," she replied calmly.

"I want to show you something, so could you turn around and close your eyes?"

"I am not just going to turn around and close my eyes," Reyna said firmly, "and the last time you showed me something, it tried to eat me. And don't call me Reyrey."

"That was Festus's way of saying he likes you," Leo argued, "please Reyna, please just this once?"

Reyna sighed.

"Fine," she grumbled, and turned around and closed her eyes. She couldn't help it, it was so endearing when he acted like this.

Reyna felt something cold around her neck and settle on her breast bone. Looking down, she saw an amethyst the size of the head of a spoon, set in a gold clasp and a delicate chain made of tiny chain links. She felt Leo's hot fingers gently brush the back of her neck, as he fastened the clasp it in the back.

"Leo," she said faintly, "You _made _this?"

"Yeah," he said sheepishly, turning her around and fingering the chain, "I wanted to give you something I made myself, but I didn't make the jewel. If you want I can adjust the length."

"Wait," Reyna demanded, "Is this the jewel you stole from that jewelry shop when you got arrested?"

"Well, yes. I always kind of associated you with purple and gold so . . ."

"But," Reyna protested, "You said you wanted that for some other girl."

"I did not," Leo said indignantly, "I said I wanted it for a girl I like."

"And you couldn't have told me it was me then?" Reyna cried.

"Does it matter?" Leo asked, surprised.

"Yes, because then I wouldn't have been mad at you these past few days!" she said, exasperated.

"You were mad at me?" Leo asked, surprised.

Reyna huffed and crossed her arms, turning her back on him. He came up behind her and rested his chin on the top of her head. It was infuriating how small she was, even compared to him.

"Do you not like it?" he asked, a little sadly.

"Of course I do, don't be stupid," she said stiffly. Her face softened a little as she touched it. "It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

"Then will you go out with me?"

Reyna turned to face him and looked into his soft brown eyes that, for once in his life, were dead serious.

"I really like you," he continued, "so will you please be my girlfriend?"

Heart thumping wildly, she pretended to consider as she looked him up and down.

"Well, yes, I suppose," she said.

"But," she added, "You have to do one thing for me."

"Does it include wearing an orange jumpsuit and a iron collar?" Leo asked suspiciously.

"No," Reyna said, leaning closer to him, "You have to kiss me."

Leo grinned and bent his head to hers.

Reyna felt her heart melt through her body as soon as his lips touched hers. He kissed her softly again and again. She reached up on her tiptoes, pressing her mouth to his, savoring the spicy, chocolaty flavor of the kiss and the burning heat, wanting more, wanting it to never stop. Leo put a hand to her the back of her neck and her cheek, tilting her head up. Reyna put her hands on his chest, feeling the delicious and intense warmth from his body. They stayed like that for a while, neither one of them noticing that Skippy had fled, or the merrily burning stable all around them.

* * *

><p><strong>This was very fun to write. So, review to tell me what you think.<strong>

**R**

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	18. Cookies

GO FORWARD AND BE EATEN.

GO BACK AND REGRET IT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

NOT MUCH OF A CHOICE, IS IT?

**OKAY, OKAY, DON'T KILL ME, PLEASE! This is so freakishly short you will hate me, but it is just to tide you over while I work on some of the bigger stuff. Some of the chapters I'm writing are so stuffed with Percabeth fluff, it might explode! And this week is my spring break, so I will be able to do lots of work.**

* * *

><p>"Hey, Annabeth?"<p>

"Yeah Percy?"

"Does Kronos eat cookies?"

"What?"

"Well, he's the dark side, right? So he must have cookies."

"I don't think Titans eat cookies."

"Yeah, but if I join him, do you think he'll give me cookies?"

"I don't think the Titan Lord will be handing out cookies. Besides, if he destroys all Western Civilization, there will be no one to make the cookies."

"But what about all the humans on his side? Won't they want cookies?"

"No. They will all be dead too."

"You mean, if Kronos takes over the world, there will be no more cookies? Not even blue chocolate chip ones?"

"Exactly."

"That's awful! Well we have to stop him, come on! Annabeth, why are you hitting yourself with that book?"

* * *

><p>As the demigods rushed into battle, Grover heard a strange battle cry coming from where Percy was fighting.<p>

"FOR THE GODS, AND FOR COOKIES!"

Grover looked at Annabeth beside him.

"What was . . .?"

"Don't ask, Grover," she said grimly, "just don't ask."

* * *

><p><strong>Soooo . . . . I know you don't want to but . . . REVIEW!<strong>


	19. Telling the Parents

GO FORWARD AND BE EATEN.

GO BACK AND REGRET IT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

NOT MUCH OF A CHOICE, IS IT?

**Hello everyone! Did you miss me? No? Oh well. So this is a little filler chapter, and I actually don't think Paul would be at all opposed to the marriage, but Annabeth's stepmother would be. But I didn't want it to turn out as Percy's parents saying yes and Annabeth's parents saying no, so I switched it up a little.**

* * *

><p>"Umm, you guys? We have something to tell you," Percy said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. He and Annabeth just came up to the picnic table on the hill above their makeshift sparring ring to where Sally, Paul, Fredrick and Helen were having lunch.<p>

The foursome looked at the two twenty-two year olds and Percy's courage failed.

"Why don't you tell them, Annabeth?"

Annabeth muttered something under her breath in Greek that sounded suspiciously like _Seaweed brain _and _Coward._

"We're getting married," she told them bluntly.

Fredrick gasped and fell off his seat.

"I knew it," he cried, "you're pregnant!"

"I told you they would think," Annabeth smirked at Percy.

"Why do I even try," he muttered, rummaging in his pocket, "what was it, five drachma's?"

"Nice try, it was ten."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Sally gushed," I'm so happy! Of course, you will have to tell me everything, and I'll do the wedding arrangements and-"

"Wait," Paul protested, "I have nothing against you guys getting married, but don't you think this is a little soon? I mean, what will people think?"

"Exactly," Fredrick said, "At the very least you should wait a few more years."

"Fredrick, don't," Helen chastised, "If they risk their lives every day, the sooner the better."

Just then a brilliant flash of light blinded everyone. When it faded, Poseidon and Athena stood their, in human clothes, but still radiating power. Everyone bowed to them.

"Hello everyone," Poseidon said cheerfully, "Dite told us the news, and we thought we should congratulate you. Oh, blue corn chips. Don't mind if I do."

"What he means," Athena said, glaring at her nemesis as he dipped the chip in blue tahinni and popped it in his mouth, "Is that Aphrodite told us what happened, so we came to give our personal opinions. Mine is that this is a very bad idea and you should not do it."

"Don't be such a stick in the mud Theeni," Poseidon said jovially, putting an arm around each demigod, "What better wedding gift to give the happy couple than your permission? As for me, I was thinking a three month honeymoon inHawaii, fully paid, no monsters or any other interference. Or maybe theCaribbean. I think you may have had enough of Greece and Rome, but it's you choice. What do you say you guys? "

"Sounds good," Percy said happily.

"I have a say too you know," Athena cried, "And I won't allow it."

"Lady Athena," Sally said, standing up and glaring at her fiercely, "If you think for one second that you have any right to stop them, you have another thing coming!"

"Insolent mortal!" Athena roared, "You can't tell a goddess what to do!"

"Watch me!" Sally cried.

Athena lunged at her, but Paul and Poseidon blocked her way.

"I agree with Athena!" Fredrick shouted, "She is always right! I didn't have sex with her for nothing!"

"Fredrick Chase!" Helen cried, as everyone else stared, "how dare you speak of that with your wife here!"

Athena argued with Sally, Helen was yelling at Fredrick and Paul and Poseidon tried to keep Sally from being blasted. Annabeth and Percy watched the whole thing like a tennis match.

"Do you think we should tell them we were more stating a fact, rather than asking their permission?" Percy whispered.

"No," Annabeth whispered back, "Let them have their fun. But maybe we should forget the big to do wedding and just elope."

"Sounds good to me," Percy responded cheerfully, and the two walked back down the hill, still holding hands, and ignoring the yells and crashes behind them.

Half an hour later the papers were signed, and although quite frankly their lives were as closely entwined as they could be, as soon as Annabeth volunteered to accompany Percy on that first quest, they were officially married.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, this time, if you like the story, instead of favoriting it, press the review button and tell <em>what <em>you liked about it. Capeesh?**


	20. A much abused babysitter

GO FORWARD AND BE EATEN.

GO BACK AND REGRET IT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

NOT MUCH OF A CHOICE, IS IT

**I LOVE ABUSING NICO! There is something extremely satisfying about torturing him. I think it has something to do with the fact that he doesn't have a girlfriend. Anyway, he is still one of my favorite charactors.**

* * *

><p>"Please Nico?"<p>

"No"

"Please?"

"I said no."

"Please, for your favorite cousin?"

"Oh, is Jason there?"

"All right, I didn't want to bring this up, but you owe me."

"I do not!"

"Oh, yes you do. From the time you kept back all that info about my past, and you didn't tell Annabeth where I was, and the time when you had me walk right into you dad's trap, and I got locked in a creepy cell-"

"Dude, that was years ago! Let it go!"

"Please, just for one night. It's my and Annabeth's dating anniversary too."

"Can't you ask someone else?"

"Everyone else is celebrating the day we beat the Titan's."

"What makes you think _I'm _not celebrating?"

"You're Nico. You don't celebrate."

"I'm hurt."

"Yeah right."

"I won't do it."

"Please?"

"No."

"I'll pay you ten drachma's."

"There isn't enough money in the world to convince me to babysit that . . . that . . . thing."

"That thing is my son, and he's been asking for you, specially. Here, listen."

"I wuv yoo unca Nicoooo."

"And my favorite color is pink."

"If you don't, I will put the photos of you from Leo's wedding on the internet."

Nico froze. He remembered bits of that night. Him getting drunk. The Stoll brothers asking him to do something. Being arrested. Having one hell of a headache in the morning, and being surprised at waking up in a cell.

"How did you get those!"

"Travis and Connor got the whole thing on camera. I paid them."

"*sigh* Fine, I'll do it."

"Really? Great! Come over now."

"Humph."

Nico hung up and glared at the phone.

"I'll get you for this Percy Jackson," he muttered, "see if I don't. Fatal flaws be damned."

* * *

><p>Smirking, Percy put the house phone in its cradle and went over to his five year old son, sitting at the dinner table.<p>

"Okay Kyle, here you go, eat up."

Percy handed him a large paper bag, full of blue candy, which Kyle immediately started shoving in his mouth.

"And remember, if he won't play shield with you, just bonk him on the head, all right?"

Kyle nodded seriously.

"And don't tell your mom!"

"Tell me what?"

Annabeth walked into the room, looking _very _nice in a wine colored dress that came just above her knee's, a triple stranded pearl necklace and pearl drop earrings. Her hair curled down midway her back and just the slightest hint of makeup brought out her eyes and high cheekbones.

"Oooooohh, mommy, yoo wook pwettyy!" Kyle said happily, hiding the bag of candy, quickly under the table.

"Thank you, Kyle," she said, and kissed him quickly on the cheek.

Then she straightened and her flashing grey eyes bored into Percy's face.

"Tell me what, Percy?" Annabeth asked sternly.

Percy, however, seemed currently incapable of speech. After almost eleven years of being with her, he still could not quiet believe how lucky he was. And sometimes certain things brought that into focus. How hot she looked in that dress, for instance.

"Percy? Percy? Hey Seaweedbrain," she called, snapping her fingers under his nose, "wake up!"

Percy started, and then blushed.

"I-I, umm y-you look beautiful, Annabeth," he stuttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

Annabeth laughed.

"Thanks Seaweedbrain," she said, smoothing the collar of his dress shirt, "you're not so bad yourself."

"Hmm," Percy pulled her in to kiss her.

Kyle pretended to gag and then jumped up when the doorbell rang.

* * *

><p>After Annabeth told me the rules, (no candy, has to be in bed by eight, has to take a bath and brush his teeth, can play if everything else is done, don't destroy the house,) I closed the door behind the stupid couple and turned to face my doom.<p>

"So," I said awkwardly, "What do you want to do until bedtime?"

"Paint!" he cried.

"Paint? Like, with brushes? On paper?"

Kyle nodded and pointed to the top of the refrigerator. On top was a large roll of paper, three brushes and a giant bottle of blue paint.

"Is there only blue?" I asked.

Kyle grabbed the paint, threw the paper onto his shoulder and marched out of the room.

Assuming he knew what to do, I decided to grab a snack before going to watch him. I had just ripped open a blue rice crispy treat, (seriously, was that the only color in this house?) when I heard a scream of laughter from the dining room.

My heart sinking, I dashed in there, and then skidded to a stop. He had squirted the paint in long lines, all across the floor, walls and ceiling. The paper had been completely unrolled and stung around the room the way teenagers T.P. old people's homes on Halloween. Kyle himself was covered from head to toe in the stuff and was laughing wildly. He was literally bouncing off the walls, leaving blue streaks wherever he went.

When he saw me, he ran and tackled me in a hug. I grabbed him before he went off again, but now my clothes were the same color.

"Damn it Kyle," I cried, "These stains will never come off! And how am I going to explain the state of this room to your parents?"

"Unca Niiiiiicooooo! I gatta hab a bat," Kyle crowed, and led me off to the bathroom.

Ten minutes later we were both soaked and covered with bubbles, and had flooded the bathroom. Kyle kept laughing and moving the water around, dousing me. The whole room would have been a new aquarium if I hadn't finally gotten to the drain and unplugged it.

When that was done, I told him to find all the dry towels he could. He ran off, still naked, and came back with an armful. I wrapped him up in the biggest one, like a cocoon, so he couldn't get out, and used the rest to mop up the floor. Then I flopped down beside the still struggling kid. I was wet and exhausted, and the night had only just begun.

Sighing, I stripped off my clothes and, carrying a bundled up Kyle in one arm, threw all the towels and clothes into the laundry.

I went to the upstairs bathroom and found a tube of toothpaste and a Spiderman toothbrush.  
>"Okay, Kyle," I said, trying to be calm, "Can you brush your teeth by yourself, without making a mess?"<p>

Kyle beamed up at me and cried, "Obcus Unca Niicoo, I's iz a biig boy naw!"

"Okay, good, know I'm just going to find some clothes and . . . Kyle, stick out your tongue."

He did so, and it was as I had seen. It was blue.

"Kyle," I cried, "Please tell me you didn't eat the paint!"

"Nooooo, I dint eat paint, I eat cany! Wook!"

He ran downstairs before I could stop him and brought back up and large paper bag. Inside were dozens of candy wrappers, all for every kind of blue candy imaginable.

Everything in my brain seemed to freeze. Only a few words could get through the strange haze. Kyle . . . Candy . . . Hyper . . . Percy!

Almost unconsciously, I turned towards the door, determined to kill my cousin, even if all I was wearing was my birthday suit.

"Way, Unca Niicoo, where yoo goin?" asked Kyle, hanging onto my arm.

"To kill your father," I said firmly.

"Buh yoo cand, I haft ta bush ma teet!"

_That's right Nico, _a voice in my head said, _don't leave, not yet. Just don't clean anything up, and let Percy do it, and feel the brunt of Annabeth's anger when you tell her._

Fine. I helped Kyle brush his teeth, wiped him off all the toothpaste that got on him and went looking for clothes for both enough.

Kyle's pajamas were sitting at the top of the stairs. They were footie's, and had little fishes all over then.

Then, after getting his limbs into the correct holes, (there was a mishap with his legs and the sleeves,) I went looking in Percy's closet for clothes for me.

"Unca Niicoo, pway sheid wit meeee!"

"Not right now," I said absently. Blue jeans, blue jeans, didn't he have anything black?

"Pweeeeeaassse, Unca Niiicoo!" he cried, trying to pull my arm down.

"Go away kid," I said, pushing him back. I heard his footsteps going into what I presumed was his room, and smiled inwardly. At last. Now, blue, grey, green, purple, Camp Half-blood,CampHalf-blood, Aha! I pulled out a plain black tee-shirt and some old black sweats. Oh well, better than nothing. I rummaged in his drawer for boxers and put on the clothes.

"Unca Niicoo! Pway sheid wit me!"

"Look kid, I already said I wasn't going to- OW!" Something hard crashed onto my head, and I saw stars.

"What the FUCK kid! You trying to kill me!" I cried, raising my head from the floor.

"Aaaahh, yoo said bad wood, yoo said bad wood!" Kyle shouted. He was holding up a big round disk, at least up to his neck.

"Is that a . . . shield?" I asked, carefully standing up, "Is that what you want to do? Play shield?"

The little monster nodded.

"Okay," I said awkwardly, "How do you play shield?"

Kyle set it on the ground and sat in the middle of it.

"Spin," he said simply.

"Spin," I said, staring stupidly at him, "Um, okay."

I grabbed the edge of the shield and spun it as hard as I could. He went whizzing around the room, laughing like a maniac, crashing into the dresser and finally coming to stop in front of me again.

"Again!" he cried, laughing, "Again!"

I kept it up until it was his bedtime. At that point, we were both so tired, I had collapsed on the floor next to him, and he was curled up in the shield, already almost asleep.

"Come on little man," I yawned, and scooped him up. I carried him into his room, where I nearly dropped him in surprise.

The whole room was Painted in excruciating detail of an under water view. Now I knew what Rachel's wedding present to Percy and Annabeth was. I heard she had done Annabeth's study likeOlympus.

I lay Kyle down in his bed, shaped exactly like the Argo II, and gently rocked him until I could hear the soft snores. Quietly as I could, I sneaked away to find a place to sleep, because there was no way I was going to stay in that room. It was starting to make me sea sick.

After searching what felt like the whole house, and it was pretty big, I opened the door to the basement. The staircase was painted like an underground tunnel, and it was very familiar. When I reached the bottom, I saw that it was painted with scenes from the underworld, people being tortured in the Fields of Punishment on the right wall, Elysium on the left, and the Fields of Asphodel everywhere else.

I'll bet this is where they keep the Christmas presents, these scenes could really scare a little kid. But to me it was home, so I lay down on the floor and slept.

Three hours later, I was awakened by some guy performing CPR on me.

I pushed him off of me and rolled onto my stomach, retching and gagging. Oh Gods, what a way to wake up, with some strange man with garlic breathe trying to breath into you.

"Can you breathe sir?" he asked anxiously, helping me sit up. Normally I would have sliced his head in two, but I had just woken up and was a bit groggy.

"What the Hades are you doing?" I gasped instead.

"You had collapsed," he said, "Your nephew called 911 when he found you and couldn't wake you up. Please sir, if you can walk, I should take you to the hospital. There is an ambulance waiting outside and-"

"Where is that little punk!" I growled, stumbling to my feet, "I'm gonna send him to my dad the hard way!"

"Please sir," the paramedic said, "I think you must have hit you head or fainted. This room could do that to you-"

But he was interrupted by Kyle jumping on me and hugging the life out of me

"Unca Nico, Unca Nico!" he sobbed, "I tought yoo was dead, and daddy aways says yoo was goin ta hell, and yoo was lying der, and yoo wasnd wakin up!"

"It okay," I said lamely, awkwardly patting him on the back, "I'm fine."

"Look," I told the guy flatly, "This is all a misunderstanding. I put my nephew down for bed, came down here to sleep, he woke up and tried to make me wake up, but I'm a really deep sleeper. The room scared him and he overreacted and called you. That is it. We are both fine, but you have to leave before his parents come back. Goodbye."

I pushed him out of the house and collapsed on a chair.

"Unca Nico?" Kyle asked timidly.

"What?" I asked harshly.

"I is sawy," he said, doing that big, pleading, grey eyes thing his mom used to do.

"It's fine," I said tiredly.

He crawled into my lap, and fell asleep within seconds. I didn't have the strength to lift him up, so I just sat there, and a minute later, I followed him.

* * *

><p>Hazel walked through the front door, and did not see what she had expected. The police had called half and hour earlier, while she was in the shower. They had left a message saying her brother had collapsed and would be taken to a hospital. Then they had called to say it was a misunderstanding. So when she came to check up on him, she had not expected to see the king of ghosts, prince of the underworld, master of death to be cuddling an adorable toddler.<p>

After a minute, she reached into her purse and pulled out a camera.

Definitely face book worthy.

* * *

><p><strong>Review, or else you will have to babysit Kyle next!<strong>


	21. A freakishly happy ending Mark of Athena

GO FORWARD AND BE EATEN.

GO BACK AND REGRET IT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

NOT MUCH OF A CHOICE, IS IT?

**First off, Iwant you all to send your prayers to Percy, who has been sleeping on the couch ever since the Nico/Kyle incident. We feel you man.**

**I was listening to Nickleback while writing this. Mostly _Far Away, If everyone cared, Saving me, Never Gonna be Alone, Gotta be Somebody,_ and_ How You remind me._ Their music is the best, but the music videos are too sad. This is pretty much pure Percabeth fluff, so there won't be any problem's. This is just what I want to happen, and what should happen. This is what they deserve to happen!**

* * *

><p><strong><span>Annabeth's P.O.V.<span>**

I didn't know what to think

The whole journey had been a blur, and now I was about to see him for the first time in eight months.

_What if he forgot me?_

I don't think I would be able to stand it if he just glanced at me with his cute little faintly confused smile, and then have his eyes slide right over me as if he never knew me.

_What if he found a new girlfriend and I was only coming here to have him break up with me?_

I wouldn't be that surprised. There were plenty of girls who would love to date the savior ofOlympus, and the scrawny kid I had first met when we were twelve had turned hot enough to make Apollo jealous. Don't tell him I thought that. Either of them.

_Eight months is a long time. Most people change over time. What if he was a completely different person from who I fell in love with?_

It wouldn't stop me from loving him, but all my reasons would be gone. It would just be a crazy feeling tying me to him, and it would drive me mad until I wouldn't be able to be in his presence without feeling sick.

All these thoughts and more kept swirling inside my head.

Then I jumped as a loud voice cried, "HOLD ON EVERYONE. WE ARE ABOUT TO LAND. STAY CLEAR OF THE RAILING."

"Dammit Leo, you don't have to shout! We're all right here," Piper yelled.

"You guys, stop fighting," Jason said. He looked a little sick and a little excited. Now times that by ten and you know how I feel.

Then a jarring jolt shook the ship.

"We've landed," said Leo unnecessarily.

Jason took a deep breath. "Okay, Leo, open the gang plank and we'll all go out together. But I'll be in front so they don't shoot you."

"You okay?" Piper asked, straightening my sweater. The Aphrodite cabin had forbid me to see Percy in just my usual tee-shirt and ratty shorts. They had packed some new clothes for me, but Piper had watched them do it, so she would have vetoed anything she knew I wouldn't wear. They had even IM'd us earlier, to make sure what I had on was appropriate. Piper had helped me pick out a clean white long sleeve shirt with a scoop neck and short jean shorts with a brown belt for my knife. That and a long sleeved cardigan with wide green and white stripes and my hair in its usual ponytail.

"Yeah," I lied, "I'm fine."

Everyone started off, but before I stepped out into view, I put on my invisibility cap. Piper saw and raised an eyebrow, but to my relief, didn't object. I had to know what Percy remembered before I knew how to act towards him. Jason's memories had pretty much completely returned, but I wouldn't put it past Percy to still not remember his own name.

We all walked down the plank and as soon as our feet touched the ground, a girl in what looked like a purple bed sheet ran up to us.

"Jason, it is very good to see you again," she smiled, but her eyes were wary. "Please introduce the Greeks to everyone."

_Everyone?_

That's when I saw about 500 kids all coming towards us. Most of them looked a little suspicious and had their hands on their swords or other weapons, but some merely looked curious. Well we did just park a giant battle ship with a bunch of people who have been their natural enemies for the last thousand years.

"Hello Reyna, good to see you too. This is Piper, daughter of Aphrodite or Venus." He pulled Piper up beside him by her hand and didn't let go.

"Hey, you're obviously Reyna. And you must be Praetor. It's nice to meet you."

Piper's voice wasn't quite on charm speaking mode, but there was a definite soothing quality to it. That and her polite manners seemed to make Reyna soften a little.

Then Piper was bowled aside by Leo.

"I am Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus, or Vulcan, to you," he said, grabbing her hand and kissing it gently. "Enchanted to meet you, _querida_."

Then he winked and smiled at her.

"Oh, um, okay, I'm Reyna . . ." She sounded flustered and unused to the attention.

Piper rolled her eyes, but smiled. Jason simply looked stunned.

I was keeping one eye on the exchange, and one on the crowd, looking.

Suddenly, a new fear gripped me.

_What if he didn't make it here? What if he was dead somewhere and I would never see him again?_

I know he had the curse of Achilles and everything, that's why I never worried about him proving himself to the Romans and getting in. But he wasn't immortal. Just invincible.

Then there was a commotion in the back of the crowd. Someone was shoving their way to the front.

"Excuse me, pardon me, please move, I'm Praetor, oh for Poseidon's sake, GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

A familiar tousled haired boy stumbled out of in front and looked around wildly. He ran towards us and stopped in front of Jason.

His sea green eyes scanned us and then widened with panic.

"Where is Annabeth!" Percy Jackson cried.

Jason stuck out a hand.

"Hi, I'm Jason, you must be Percy," he said.

Percy looked down at his hand and blinked, then took it.

"Uh, yeah, I'm Percy, but where is Annabeth? She's supposed to be here."

I couldn't take it any longer. He obviously, at least, remembered me.

Just as Jason was about to answer, I took off my cap and shoved it in my pocket. T here was a collective gasp from the crowd as I appeared, but right then I didn't care.

"Percy?" I called softly, in a tremulous voice.

He turned to stare at me and as soon as our eyes locked I felt a shiver run down my spine and tears form in my eyes. We just stood there, five feet apart, taking the other one in. He looked taller and tanner then I remember, and a little bigger. He was wearing the same bed sheet thing as Reyna and looked pretty stupid. But he was all I could see. Everyone else just disappeared.

Then he smiled, a little worriedly as if I might attack him, (not that it hadn't crossed my mind,) and held up his arms slightly as if for a hug.

I flew at him so hard he stumbled back a few steps, wrapped my arms around his back and pressed my now tearstained face in his shoulder.

He wrapped one arm around my waist, the other around my shoulders and said into my hair, "Oh gods Annabeth, I thought . . .!"

"You are in so much trouble Seaweedbrain," I mumbled into his shirt and hugged him tighter, until he laughed softly in my ear and whispered, "Careful, _agapimeni, _I'm not quite as invincible as before."

At this I looked up and, whisper/shouted, "What the _hell_ Percy? What do you mean you are not invincible anymore? Where have you been for the last eight months? Do you have any idea how worried I've been . . .?"

But he wasn't listening. Instead he gently cupped the side of my face and whispered, "Gods you're beautiful," before kissing me.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Percy's P.O.V.<span>**

Annabeth's tall thin frame fit against mine like puzzle pieces, and I was home. It was like I had been holding my breath for the past month without her, and now I let it out, feeling waves of relief wash over me. Like when you miss a step going down the stairs and your stomach drops for a terrifying second, but then your safe at the bottom.

As soon as I kissed her, everything righted itself, as if the world had been set at a crazy angle and the colors were all blurry and faded. My mind was clear for the first since I had woken up, and I could remember every second of my life before Hera kidnapped me. I felt like there was fire in my very bones, but it didn't hurt. I could feel her warm body pressed close to me, her soft lips engaged in a slow dance with mine, and felt one of her hands gently tangle in my hair. I gently licked her lower lip asking for entrance which she granted, and our tongues wove together in a complicated pattern. My hand slipped down her waist to her hip and I pulled her even closer.

I don't know how long we stayed like that, it might have been a few minutes or a couple centuries, but I never wanted it to end.

Then a voice in my head said, "_Get a stable you two._"

We broke apart, breathless and I glanced behind me, and then looked back at Annabeth, grinning even wider.

"You didn't."

"Well," she said smiling, "he insisted."

"_Darn right I did,_" the black Pegasus behind me said.

He came and gently bumped me with his nose.

"_Good to see you still alive boss._"

"_It's good to see you too Blackjack,_" I replied in the same way, reluctantly letting go of Annabeth with one arm and patting him.

"_Guy's, I hate to break this up, but everyone's staring at you._"

I looked around. Blackjack was right. Everyone _was _staring at us. Sheesh, you'd think they'd never seen two people kiss before.

Reyna, Jason and Repair Boy were all gaping at us shocked. The pretty girl with them wore a smug expression. Octavian however, looked downright furious.

"YOU SEE!" he shouted, "THIS IS A TRAP, A SCAM! THEY ARE ALL IN CAHOOTS!"

Jason snapped his mouth shut.

"Oh shut up Octavian. Go dissect a teddy bear and leave us all alone."

Octavian glared at him and stomped off.

"W-well," Reyna stuttered, "We should . . . should we . . . go to the Senate House . . .?"

"We can do all that tomorrow," I said and swiftly lifted Annabeth on to Blackjack.

"Percy, what the . . .?"

"_Need to take a ride boss?_"

"I am going to spend a well deserved break with my girlfriend."

"But you can't, your duties!" Reyna cried.

I stared at her.

"Of course I can," in a voice that sounded as if I was explaining something very simple to someone very stupid, "I'm Praetor."

And with that, I urged Blackjack up into the sky.

* * *

><p><strong>Jason's P.O.V.<strong>

Reyna watched them go with disbelief.

"Ummm," I said, because she seemed incapable of talking, "Maybe I should show Piper and Leo around today and we'll all go decide things at the Senate House tomorrow."

She nodded, still speechless.

"We'll help," said a girl with dark skin and curly brown hair.

"Hazel!" I cried, "I haven't seen you in ages."

"Well, you had better introduce us to the other two and we'll give them the tour. You'll also have to say hi to everyone else, they've been dying to see you," she said, smiling at me.

An Asian boy next to her shifted slightly.

"Oh yeah, this is Frank, he's new in the fifth cohort. Frank this is Jason."

"Hey Frank, this is Piper and Leo. You guy's, these are some of my friends."

There were introductions all around. The rest of the camp crowded around us until Reyna shouted, "Okay everyone, back to your normal schedules! We'll re-congregate tomorrow when our Praetors little vacation is done!"

Everyone but us and the fifth cohort, floated off, and the tour began.

* * *

><p><strong>Percy's P.O.V.<strong>

"_You two just made out in front of the entire Roman army," _Blackjack chuckled.

"_Shut up," _I thought, grinning.

"Can you do that?"

"Do what?" I asked, burying my face into Annabeth's blonde curls in front of me.

"Run off like that. Don't you need to be in charge or something? You said you're Praetor."

"I've never thought a temporary and kind of annoying job should take someone away from their social life," I said, softly kissing her neck.

Annabeth shivered with pleasure and settled back against my chest.

"You have to tell me everything," she instructed, "everything that happened while you were away."

"I will," I assured her, "but first I have to show you some things."

"What things?" she asked suspiciously.

"You'll see," I said mysteriously.

We didn't talk much on the way there. It felt wonderful to have her back with me. I kept my arm firmly around her waist, and I didn't plan on letting go any time soon. Or ever if I could help it. The other hand played with her hair and she leaned back against me, resting her head on my shoulder.

_"Hey boss, you need to know, Mistress really missed you," _Blackjack said to me.

_"Mistress? That's a bit formal. Can't you call her Annabeth, and call me Percy?"_

_"No, you're the Boss, and I can't just call her the Boss's girlfriend all the time. But really," _he said seriously, _"You need to be careful. She went kind of crazy after you left. Most of the campers begged for a chance to go look for you for her, just to get away. If it wasn't for her friends and Chiron, I reckon she would of run herself into the ground, literally, by all the work she did trying to find you and build the ship. Most days she didn't eat or sleep, and when she did, she had terrible nightmares. She spent most nights in your cabin so her sibling wouldn't hear the screaming. Your mom helped once, and that pretty girl, Piper, and the freaky oracle girl and the scary Ares kid, the one who was planning stuff to do to you in punishment for leaving with the other hunter girl with the crown thing, Thalia, they helped to. I know you haven't noticed, but Mistress is a lot thinner and more tired. And if I have to hear one of your friends say to a new camper,_ Well there is on person who can calm her down, but that's kind of the point, _again, I' gonna scream."_

Oh gods. I held Annabeth desperately, as if she might vanish like a dream, my mind trying to process the information. The worst thing was, I could totally believe it. I know how I would feel if Annabeth just disappeared without any warning or way of finding her, and if I knew she had lost all her memories. I could also see her throwing herself into her work. I hugged her closer and for the first time, realized how thin she really was. And she had been really light when I had lifted her on to Blackjack's back. Damn. Damn Hera for taking me. Damn Gaia for starting this whole thing. But not again, I decided. Now I had her back, I wasn't letting go, not ever. But that prophecy . . .

_Wisdom's daughter walks alone_

_I promise you Annabeth, _I thought fiercely, _if you ever do walk alone, it won't be for long. I'll come and find you, whatever it takes. I swear by the river Styx and anything and everything else._

* * *

><p>We flew towards the city and landed near the border.<p>

"Hey Terminus!" I said, pulling Annabeth by her hand, "I want you to meet someone.

"This is Annabeth," I continued, "Annabeth, this is Terminus. He guards the city. You can't get in without his permission."

"That's right," Terminus said proudly, "Nobody with a weapon gets past me."

Terminus looked Annabeth up and down.

"So this is the young lady you've told us so much about. I suppose you will be showing her the sights?"

"Yep," I said grinning, holding Annabeth's hand tightly.

"Good, good, now where is Julia, she has so wanted to meet you?" Terminus twisted his torso, trying to look around. Julia poked her head around his pedestal and giggled.

"Here I am!" she cried gleefully.

"Yes you are, now take their weapons so they can go on their date," Terminus said sternly.

Obediently, Julia held out the bowl to us. Then her eyes locked on Annabeth and her mouth fell open.

"Julia, this is my girlfriend, Annabeth," I said, smiling at her reaction.

"_She's _your girlfriend?" Julia asked, shocked.

"Yep."

"But . . ." Julia protested, her head whipping back and forth between us, as if trying to catch one of us lying, "But she's so pretty."

Annabeth bit back a laugh and Terminus snorted.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked, a bit insulted.

"It means, she is too pretty to be your girlfriend," Julia said imperially.

"Yeah, yeah, okay, just take the weapons and let's go," I said, rolling my eyes.

As we walked into the city, I looked back at my girlfriend and smirked.

"What?" she asked, a faint smile lingering on her perfect lips.

"Nothing," I said aloud, "Just happy I'm finally taller."

She rolled her eyes.

"Fine, I'll bite. I'm 5 ft. 11in. What are you?"

"I think about 6 ft. 4 in." I replied smugly.

Annabeth laughed, and I swear I had never heard such a beautiful sound.

When we entered the city, Annabeth looked around in amazement and went off in a state of ecstasy, talking about a bunch of architectural nonsense, but I couldn't stop staring at her. It was like looking into a beautiful sunset. Just being with her made me happier than I could ever remember.

We had lunch at a café and watched the people pass by. My eyes locked on a young couple with a child in a stroller.

"It's so incredible here. Who are all these people?" Annabeth breathed.

"They're demigods, or at least they are descendants of demigods," I said, tearing my gaze from the family.

"All these people have Immortal blood?"

"Yep. The city is the one place where they can lead normal lives in safety, you know, go to school, and raise a family."

"That's . . . that's amazing," she said dazedly.

"It is. And it's a good idea. That's what I want to do when we get back toCampHalf blood. Create a safe place for all the demigods there," I looked at Annabeth, hoping she would agree. I had been thinking about this for a while, but I wasn't sure if it was genius or crazy. Annabeth could usually tell the difference.

"Percy . . . that is a brilliant idea," Annabeth said. Her shining grey eyes met mine and I could tell she was already planning it.

"Of course, we have to think about where to build it, and the funding . . ." I let her ramble off in her designs, again, not listening. She liked the idea. SHE LIKED THE IDEA. I was giddy with relief.

"Hey, what are they doing?" Annabeth asked, breaking off her mantra.

A bunch of people were all moving in the same direction, like they had somewhere to be in a hurry.

"I don't know, maybe we should see," I said, standing up.

We followed everyone into a beautiful garden where they were all congregating. There were light strung on the tree's and people were dressed up. Some auras were playing strange flute-like instruments, and the guests were dancing slowly.

"It's a wedding," Annabeth realized.

She was right. In the center of the dance floor, I saw the bride in a long white dress, dancing with the groom. They were just swaying to the music, staring into each others eyes, totally wrapped up in their own world.

"Want to dance?" I asked Annabeth suddenly.

She smiled at me.

"Sure."

I wrapped my arms around her waist, and she put her arms around my neck. I let my head rest on her shoulder, and she did the same to me. The light was fading, and the lights were casting a soft rosy glow over the scene. I wanted to make the moment of peace and happiness last forever. This was all I needed from this world. Annabeth in my arms and just being with her, without worrying about the fate of the universe for once.

"I missed you Wisegirl," I mumbled.

"I missed you too," she whispered, "more than you know."

"Trust me, I know," I muttered.

"Yeah, but I had eight months of worry. You just had from when you fist remembered me."

I could hear the sad note in her voice, and tried to imagine eight months of worrying for her. Then I decided not to. It hurt just to think about it.

"You can't remember what you never forgot. I love you Annabeth. I could never forget you."

She stared at me and I saw her stormy eyes sparkling with unshed tears.

"I love you too Seaweedbrain," she said, smiling.

We danced until the wedding broke up, and then started back to camp, waving to Terminus, Julia and her mom, who was picking her up.

As we passed the training grounds, an idea came to me. It was a perfect way of assuring myself that I didn't need to worry so much about Annabeth.

"Hey Annabeth, come fight me."

"What?"

"Before we go to the baths and talk, let's do a practice fight."

I pulled her to the arena, threw off the stupid bed sheet and drew Riptide. She took out her knife and stood ready.

"Ready for the Romans to see their Praetor get beat by his girlfriend?" Annabeth called tauntingly.

"In your dreams," I answered.

I thrust towards her chest, and she parried. She slashed at my side, and I dodged. We weren't really trying to even disarm each other, more just testing the other. Then it got more heated. It was a dance, back and forth, stabbing, swiping, and never touching the other. Sweat beaded our foreheads, but we were both smiling. We were one entity, so close but with the thinnest layer of air between our skins. I had never been so aware of her body, she was all around me, the heat coming from her burning me, but it just made me feel more alive. I could feel other eyes on me, but she was the only real thing right now.

Then, suddenly, she was behind me with her knife pressed to my throat, and her arm around my waist.

"I win," she whispered in my ear, her hot breath on my neck, "you've gotten slow."

I grinned, put my arm around her shoulder, and kissed her temple.

We walked off towards the baths, ignoring all the staring Romans.

When we finally arrived, the place was deserted. I changed faster, so I slipped into the deep end and waited. Soon Annabeth came in wearing a simple one piece grey suit, and sat on the edge with her feet in the water. I swam just beneath her and grabbed her foot, pulling her in. Under the water, she glared at me until I made an air bubble around our torsos.

"What was that for," she sputtered.

I shrugged. "You're pretty when you're wet."

Annabeth blushed. "Shut up."

I cupped her face in my hands and gently brushed my lips against hers, again and again. The kiss was full of an infinite tenderness. She tasted so good, lemony and minty and warm. So warm.

We finally broke apart, smiling at each other. I carried us back up to the surface and lifted Annabeth back on the edge. Then I crossed my arms, leaned them on her legs and said, "So? Talk. What happened while I was gone?"

And Annabeth talked. She told me about how they started looking for me when I went missing, and how she met Jason and the other two, and how they went on a quest, and when they came back, she learned that I had lost my memory, and that it was Hera's fault, and about Camp Jupiter, all the while stroking my face and staring into my eyes, which made it very hard to concentrate. When she told me how the Stoll brothers and Leo had dyed her hair blue, I did a very bad job of not laughing, earning myself a whack on the head. I noticed how she skated over the parts about how she had missed me, and why she was so thin. I traced the circles under her eyes, and her prominent cheekbones while she told me about building the ArgoII, and traveling here.

"But I wasn't really doing anything. You have to tell me what you were doing for eight months."

I shrugged. "Sleeping mostly."

"What!"

So I told her about waking up, and not remembering anything but her, and training with Lupa, and looking for her, and finally finding the camp, and how I lost the curse of Achilles. I said how Reyna asked me to be Praetor, and how I turned her down. She was happy about that. But she gave me grief for not listening to her in the dream. (Are you real? Was that all you could say?") When I got to the part about Mars, she laughed.

"So, you both just stood there, and you hated each other, but neither of you could remember why?" Annabeth sniggered.

I told her about Hazel and Frank's problems, powers and parentage. She was furious when she realized Nico had known the whole time, but I managed to calm her down by telling her that he was captured by the giants.

"I'm going to kill that little punk," she muttered.

"We're going to kill that little punk," I said firmly.

I recounted the whole quest and she was stunned when I told her about drinking the gorgon's blood, ("Percy, you could have died!") and worried about how sure Gaea was about being able to use me.

I told her about Ella, who she was very interested in, and the prophecies.

"Wisdoms daughter walks alone, The Mark of Athena burns throughRome," Annabeth repeated thoughtfully, "It only mentions Athena, not her Roman counterpart. Interesting."

"But Annabeth, the walking alone part . . ."

"I'm not worried about that," she stated firmly, "We've heard prophecy's about Athena's children that turned out to mean someone other than me."

"But . . ." I started.

"No buts about it," she said and kissed my nose, "And I have an idea about the mark part,"

"What?"

"Athena's blessing," she answered confidently, "I'll bet money that's what it means."

I couldn't disagree with her.

I continued with Frank's gifts from Mars, and Iris's store, and going toAlaska, and falling off the iceberg. Annabeth rolled her eyes when I said my friends thought I was dead. ("Not after surviving St. Mount Helen's.")

I finally got to the battle atCampJupiter, and convincing the Roman's to let the Argo II land.

When I finished, she was quiet for a minute, processing what I had told her while absently tracing the tattoo's on my forearm.

"Well," she said finally, "that must be a new record. All that in only two weeks or so."

"Yeah, compared to that, defeating Gaea will be a piece of cake," I teased, Annabeth laughed. I loved being the one to make her laugh.

We got out of the bath and I dried us off, so we changed and slowly walked towards the fifth cohort, holding hands, not saying anything, enjoying the silence while everyone was asleep.

Then I saw Jason heading towards the Praetor's house with an apprehensive expression.

"I'm going to talk to Jason for a few minutes," I said, "Can you meet me in the fifth cohort? My bed's the lower on the right. Be right back."

Annabeth gave me a quick kiss and left. I walked in the direction of the Praetor's house.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Jason's P.O.V.<span>**

I slowly pushed open the door to my old house. It creaked just like it used to, as if it was welcoming me back. Reyna used to say I should get it fixed, but I had refused. When I walked in, I saw that all my old pictures and other possessions were still there, like I had never left. Well, not quite. A clear inch of dust covered everything except for some foot prints on the floor. I ran my finger over the bed post.

"Everything's still here," I whispered.

"Of course," a voice behind me said, "It's your place."

I jumped and drew my sword, pointing it at the throat if the intruder. Then I stared in surprise. It was Percy Jackson. He was leaning against the door frame, not even flinching at the weapon mere inches from killing him.

"Whoa," he said, gently guiding my sword away from his face with the tip of his finger, "Try not to kill me before tomorrow, 'kay? I kind of bet my life you would agree with everything I said."

"A Roman's word is his law," I told him, sheathing the weapon.

"So I'm told," he answered, smiling slightly.

There was an awkward silence.

"So," Percy started, "I think you wanted to know why nothings changed?"

"Umm, yeah," I said, looking around, "If they made you Praetor, shouldn't you be in here? I don't mind sleeping in the fifth cohort."

"Nah" he said, "The exchange was only temporary. It's your place, like I said. Soon as this war is done, the bed sheet is yours too."

I stared at him, trying to comprehend.

"I wasn't back in time for the Festival of Fortuna," I said slowly, "they made you Praetor. That means it's all yours."

"Just for now," he said calmly, "Look, Jason, I don't want to be Praetor. I'm just not cut out for it. The whole, great big leader, tough guy, above it all, ruthless act, it isn't me. I mean, I love the city, and most of the people here are like my second family. But when this war is done, I want to go home, toCampHalf-blood. And my mom. And all my other friends. I want to stay with Annabeth, you know? Build a life for myself, raise a family. Try and do the same thing you did here with the city."

How did this guy end up with the most prideful girl I know? I mean, turning down being the leader of New Rome? Before, I didn't really believe the stories of how he turned down immortality and all that. But hearing this, I could start to believe it.

"Annabeth and the others did really miss you," I muttered, trying to buy time to think about what he said.

"Yeah, I know," he said, darkly. He looked almost angry.

"So, how will we switch?"

"Easy," he said smiling again, (bipolar much?) "Right now, you act as Ambassador from the Greeks, and I'll be Praetor. We go off toRomeandGreece, do what we do best, then come back switched, and act like nothing is different. No one is gonna complain. It will be like nothing ever happened."

"But we can't just go away and never see each other again," I protested, thinking of Piper. And Leo too of course. Although I could live without Drew.

"No," he muttered quietly, thinking, "we can't do that."

"We'll set up ambassadors to go back and forth," I said confidently, my eyes gleaming, "And anyone can visit the other whenever they want."

"Perfect," he said, grinning.

"Now," he continued, stretching and yawning, "We should get some sleep before tackling Reyna, Octavian and the Senate tomorrow. G'night."

I laughed uncomfortably and he left. Reyna. Yay.

I shook the dust from my sheets and crawled into bed, thinking that Percy Jackson might just be the strangest person I have ever met. But I really wanted him as a friend.

* * *

><p><strong>Percy's P.O.V.<strong>

I stopped in the doorway of the fifth cohort to appreciate the vision before me. Annabeth was lying in my bed, her golden hair, splayed across the pillow, the moonlight coming in from the window, streaming over her stilled form. I changed quickly and quietly into a tee-shirt and sweats, so I didn't wake her. Then I crawled in beside her.

Annabeth opened her eyes sleepily and moved on top of me, wrapping her arms around my torso, and snuggling into my chest.

"Hey," I whispered, smiling as I held her close, "You not asleep yet?"

"No," she yawned, "I was talking to Frank and Hazel until they fell asleep. I like them, they're nice."

"They are," I agreed, tracing Greek letters on her back, "But you need some sleep."

We were quiet for a minute. Then,

"Percy?"

"Yeah?"

"Promise me that if I go to sleep, you won't disappear like a dream. Promise me you'll be here when I wake up."

"I promise," I whispered, "You own my heart and soul Annabeth. I'll be here when you wake up." _Although I'm half convinced __you're a figament of my over imagenative brain, and this is just one of my dreams,_ I added silently.

As I drifted of to sleep after her, I thought about what I said to Jason, the part about raising a family. Yeah, I wanted to do that.

But only with Annabeth.

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><p><strong>This is my baby, my precious, so no flaming it. But I worked really, really hard for a really, really long time on it, so please do review.<strong>


	22. Sleep at last

GO FORWARD AND BE EATEN.

GO BACK AND REGRET IT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

NOT MUCH OF A CHOICE, IS IT?

**I love you all for revie**wing! Short drabble, hope you like it.****

* * *

><p><em>Well, this won't do, <em>Aphrodite thought, looking down from Olympus, onto Camp Half-blood and the young demigod tossing and turning in her sleep.

_I must speak to Hera, _she realized, and swept off.

Later, she and Hera watched Annabeth as she cried out and twisted the sheets around her legs, unable to wake from the nightmare.

"You see?" Aphrodite told her, "She needs this as much as he does. I know he has troubled dreams too, even if it is a drugged sleep. Just a few nights."

"No," Hera told her flatly, "I don't care. I don't like her anyway, and I'm not going out of my way just to make them comfortable."

"But they're no use to you dead or mad!" Aphrodite shouted, exasperated.

"It's not going to kill them," Hera snapped, "Or drive them crazy. Depression isn't the same thing."

"This isn't depression," Aphrodite shouted, pointing to the image of the imaciated young woman, "This is torture!"

"Fine!" Hera cried, throwing up her hands and turning away, "Do what you want. But they can't wake up. Not ever. Not even in a dream can they know. And it can't take her out of her usual schedual."

She left, and Aphrodite turned back to Annabeth.

* * *

><p>Annabeth wept into the pillow in the empty cabin, trapped again in Mount St. Helen's, the heat blistering her face. She was running, but this time <em>towards <em>the mountain, because despite the shaking earth and a voice, Gaea's voice telling her that she was weak, and useless, she had to find Percy. Save Percy. And then the world exploded. The gound wasn't shaking, it wasn't even there. The fire surged around her, blistering her skin and she knew that she was too late. Percy was gone. There was nothing left but the fire, terrible and consuming, nothing but pain and heat and flame. But then her hand was encased in someone elses, and the fire didn't hurt anymore. Percy's hand dragged her up, out of the inferno and into water, cool and soothing on her raw flesh. She couldn't really see Percy, but she knew he was there, in the sunlight filtering through the surface of the water, and the gentle current that caressed her face, making her hair float out around her face in a golden halo. He was holding her hand, pressing it to his warm chest. She could feel his steady heartbeat under their entwined fingers. The beat to which her life constantly played.

* * *

><p>Smiling, Aphrodite observed Percy and Annabeth as, unconciously, their hands curled around the others. She was really glad she had been able to convince Hera to tansport Percy to Annabeth's side while they were sleeping. And now, for the first time in months, they slept without nightmares.<p>

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><p><strong>Review please! ;)<strong>


	23. So

GO FORWARD AND BE EATEN.

GO BACK AND REGRET IT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

NOT MUCH OF A CHOICE, IS IT?

**All you people _have _to read the manga series President Dad. It doesn't have a happy ending, but I'm going to write some FF for it and I need somebody to read it.**

* * *

><p>"So . . ." Jason started awkwardly, "Where are Percy and Annabeth?"<p>

Hazel and Frank shifted uncomfortably.

"They are still asleep," Frank mumbled.

"Well," Reyna said impatiantly, "Who is going to wake them up?"

Everyone looked away awkwardly, and said nothing.

Finally, Piper said, "Leo can get them. He's used to getting beat up."

"No!" Leo cried, indignantly, "I should _not _go! I am one of the seven, therefore it would be very bad if they killed or seriously maimed me! Jason should go. He's very important. They won't hurt him."

"What!" Jason spluttered, "N-no, I can't do that! I-I mean, what if they don't recognize me and attack me? Hazel is much less threatening. Have her do it."

"Ahhh, no, I don't think so," Hazel smiled nervously, "Really, I think Frank would be much better to-"

"No!" Frank shouted frantically, "I will not! If she," he pointed at Piper, "Is such a powerful charmspeaker, she can go do it. It's the only statagy that makes sense, without anyone getting hurt."

"I am not going to charmspeak my friends for no reason, even if it is just to get them awake. It's demeaning," Piper snapped.

"Well then who will go?" Reyna asked, annoyed at their bickering. She was really glad she wasn't going on the ArgoII.

"I'm here!" Octavian said loudly, throwing open the doors and walking in like he owened the place, "Sorry I was late, the gods had some very important messages about this quest and-"

"Octavian," Reyna interrupted, "I want you to do a very important job for me . . ."

* * *

><p><strong>This isn't really serious, but my god damned computer won't let me paste my other one, so chew on this while I figure it out.<strong>

**Reviews help with sad endings. Hint, hint.**


	24. Nightmares

GO FORWARD AND BE EATEN.

GO BACK AND REGRET IT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

NOT MUCH OF A CHOICE, IS IT?

**I just don't have anything to say.**

* * *

><p>Sally drove along the highway to Montauk, alone. Paul had to go to a meeting today, and she decided to take the opportunity to visit the old cabins. She arrived and parked the car, then got out and made her way down the beach, stumbling slightly in the soft sand.<p>

The sound of beating wings made her look up.

A black Pegasus landed near her and a familiar voice called her name.

"Sally, what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Annabeth," Sally responded, smiling at the young demigod, "I happen to own this place."

"I was just, you know, looking," Annabeth said tiredly, waving her hand around vaguely.

Upon closer inspection, she looked awful. Annabeth's curly blonde hair was unbrushed and wild around her thin face and sunken cheeks. There were cirles under her eyes and her hands trembled. There was a crazy desperation in her eyes that was a little scary.

"You know, I should really be getting back," Annabeth said, glancing up at the iron clouds, "I want to get their before it starts raining."

"But you can't go now," Sally said worriedly, looking at the sky too, "You'll get caught in the storm. Maybe you should spend the night here, with me."

"I shouldn't," Annabeth muttered, not looking at her, "They'll need me for the ship . . ."

"You can do that tomarrow when the rain has moved on," Sally said firmly, pulling her from Blackjack's back, "They can survive one night without you."

Annabeth seemed too tired to resist. She let Sally drag her to the cabin and sit her down on a bed. Blackjack setteled himself in a corner and tucked his head under his wing. As they crawled into bed, Sally asked, "How did you find this place?"

Annabeth's face was in shadow, so she couldn't see her expression. Finally she said softly, "Percy took me here a few times." Her voice was filled with such tenderness when she said his name that Sally felt as though she was looking upon something very private. But when she rolled onto her back and said no more, she new that Annabeth was done talking.

A few hours later, Sally woke up to screaming. Jumping up, she saw Annabeth thrashing in her bed, shouting and crying, apparently still asleep.

"Annabeth!" she rushed to her side and shook her shoulders, trying to get her to wake up.

Blackjack awoke and beat his wing frantically, neighing loudly.

Annabeth's eyes snapped open.

"Oh," she gasped, and then tears started pouring down her face. Her sobbing broke Sally's heart. She craddled Annabeth in her arms and rocked her back and forth.

"Shhh," she murmured, "Shhh, it's okay honey, oh baby, it'll be all right."

"It happens . . . all the time," Annabeth said, a little hystarically, "I see him . . . in my dreams. I can . . . can never tell if they are real or not."

"It will be over soon," Sally promised, "He'll come back."

"How!" Annabeth cried, "How can you know? Why don't you worry so much it hurts, every time you let him out of your sight?"

"Because of you," Sally said simply.

"What do you mean?" Annabeth asked, wiping away the tears.

"Well," Sally started, "Before he even knew about the gods . . . Percy was always a little depressed . . . like he was missing something."

"But that was because he wasn't at camp with all the people who could understand why he was different from the mortals," Annabeth protested.

Sally nodded, "That's what I thought at first . . . but when you were kidnapped and he called me . . . Percy looked exactly like he had before . . . like he didn't know what to do or where he fit in with the world. That's when I realized it could only be you. I know you don't see it . . . but he's changed a lot from before he met you. . . .You've always been the real reason . . . he's come back . . . or stayed alive . . . because you were always waiting for him back home."

"I guess," Annabeth finally said quietly, "In a way . . . you're kind of right. Thank you . . . Sally."

"No problem," Sally said cheerfully, "I always wanted a daughter, but I never thought the first time I would comfort her because of a broken heart would be because of my son."

"My heart isn't broken," Annabeth muttered, "Just missing."

"Yes . . ."

When your heart is broken, there is always a chance to fix it, and you can still feel love, even if it's painful. When your heart is missing, all you can do is wait for it to come back.

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><p><strong>Guess who practically lives off of reviews! I do!<strong>


	25. Visiting Goode

GO FORWARD AND BE EATEN.

GO BACK AND REGRET IT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

NOT MUCH OF A CHOICE, IS IT?

**I know it's a really old and overused idea, but I just wanted to see if I could do it. Probably not my best work.**

* * *

><p>I got out of my new silver Volvo and walked up to the front doors of the school where a few kids who were talking were standing about. They glanced at me in surprise as I went through the door, but it was just after school, and I had every right to be there.<p>

I stopped by the front office and asked after my boyfriend.

The lady there chuckled and said he was the swim team captain, so he was probably at practice. I thanked her and took her directions to find the pool.

Just as I got turned the corner, a four talking and laughing boys came out of the door marked _POOL,_ and leaned against some lockers nearby.

"Hey guys, I hear some girl came in today, she was looking for someone. Bet she's cute," I hear one of them say, "maybe I should find her and ask her out."

"Yeah right," I guy too far back to see his face, speaks up, "face it dude, you'd never cheat on your girlfriend. Not least 'cause she'd kick your ass from here toMexico."

"For your information," the first guy says hotly, "Sarah has never actually beaten me up. That is just a rumor. Of the untrue kind."

"You got your eye on the new girl, Perce?" another guy asks, grinning cockily.

Percy snorted. Yep, that's my Seaweedbrain.

"How many times do I have to tell you guys, I already have a girlfriend? I am in a serious and committed relationship, so stop trying to set me up with every girl that walks under your nose," he says, frustrated.

"You know, for someone who is in a _serious and committed relationship,_ you sure do have a lot of admirers," the last one smirked.

I decided this would be a good time to step in, so I tapped the guy who first spoke on the shoulder.

When he turned around I smiled sweetly and said, "Excuse me, I'm looking for someone, could you help me?"

Looking past him, I saw Percy whip his head around at the sound of my voice, cricking his neck. I shot him a look that clearly said, _play along._

"Well hello there," the guy I asked said, giving me what he clearly thought was a winning smile, "My name is Max, and I would be delighted to help you. We could take a turn around the school and you can tell me about yourself, and who you are looking for."

"I would be delighted," I said, raising a skeptical eyebrow, "but I'm looking for my boyfriend and he's on the swim team, so could someone help me find him, for real?"

At this, Percy stepped forward and said grandly, "Well, as the swim team captain, I happen to know this guy. I would be happy to help."

"Oh, do you really know him? Has he mentioned me?" I asked hopefully.

"Yes, a few times. However, he is currently unavailable. If you want, _I _could show you around."

"Weeell," I said, looking him up and down, "You're not quite as good looking as he is, but I suppose you'll do."

"Thanks Wisegirl," he muttered, grabbing my hands in his own and leaning his forehead against mine.

We stared at each other, not kissing or hugging, or any other physical contact. It is easier to talk with your eyes.

"Ahem," a voice behind us coughed.

We didn't move.

He tried again, "_Ahem._"

We ignored him.

"Hey you guys," the guy who had teased Percy said.

We broke apart. Percy looked faintly annoyed.

"_What_?"

"Do you mind explaining who the hell that is?"

"What Elijah means," the fourth guy said, "Is that you, Percy, have never really consented to so much a touch any member of the opposite sex, therefore we, as your friends, are astounded by your, though unusually displayed, serious mental affection for someone we know to a complete stranger. Of course," he continued, while the others all rolled their eyes, "The obvious conclusion is that this is the girlfriend of whom you spoke, but it does not seem to be apparent to Max and Elijah, because they have expressed some doubt to whether such a person actually exists."

"Could someone please remind me how such a nerd as Sebo here got on the swim team and became our friend?" Max asked, annoyed.

"I did all your homework in exchange for not being beaten up for simply talking to your girlfriend. You then were so pleased with yourself, you challenged me to a race, thinking to humiliate me. Your plan, I'm afraid to say, failed miserably. The only way to save face after having been beaten by a _nerd _was to ask me to join the swim team. And you did not seem to mind when mid terms came about."

"Guys," Percy said, interrupting, "this is Annabeth, my girlfriend and best friend. And we should probably be going . . ."

"Uh oh," Max muttered suddenly, "Brace yourselves. My sister is coming."

Everyone winced.

"Your sister?" I asked cautiously.

"Yeah," Max muttered, "She's really annoying. Carola is two years younger than us, and she is always hanging around us and being annoying. Always trying to tell us what to do, and thinking she knows everything."

"And bringing her friends to flirt with Percy," Elijah smirked.

I raised my eyebrows.

"They are all stupid," Percy said dismissively.

"Percy," a voice cried, and a pudgy girl with short oily blonde hair latched onto his arm.

"Percy," she said again in a high, OMG! kind of voice," Percy, you should come with me and my friends, we are all having a party later on for the last day of school, and you should totally come!"

"Sorry Carola," Percy said, cringing as he moved his arm out of her grasp, "I'm very busy this summer."

He grabbed my hand and I laced my fingers through mine.

"Oh," she said, her face falling a bit, "Who are you?"

"She's my girlfriend," Percy answered, "Annabeth."

"Oh," Carola said, her face falling a bit.

Then she got a weird look in her eye.

"Great! I'll show you around!" and she grabbed my arm tightly and tried to tug me away.

"Uh, no, we have to go . . ." I told her.

"Actually," Max said, wrapping his arm around Percy's neck in a headlock, "That's a good idea. You go off for a while, we have stuff to discuss with our dear friend here."

They towed him away, and I could hear bits of what they were yelling at him, stuff like, _Dude, why didn't you tell us your girlfriend was hot! _And Percy responding indignantly, _I _did _tell you, but you never listen . . ._

Inwardly laughing, I let Carola lead me to a deserted hallway.

"How dare you."

I stopped. "What?"

"How dare you! How dare you talk to him as if he's yours!"

I turned to stare at her and was startled by the fact that she was glaring at me, her eyes glittering with tears.

"You don't know him better than I do! You haven't heard all about his life! You don't notice the little things about him that make a girls heart melt!"

I looked at her, completely bewildered.

"You might get to hook up with him every summer, but you just like the way he looks! It's not like you really care about him! It's not like you really know him!"

"Of course I love Percy, more than anything!" I say angrily, shocked. I knew a lot of girls liked him, but this was way out of line. Screaming that I don't know him? She is clearly in denial.

"No!" Carola shouted, covering her ears, "No, I won't hear it! I love him! He is mine, and I won't let someone like you take him from me! I love him! I do! Me!"

I tried to keep myself from hitting her. Or pulling my knife from my belt.

"I'm the one who thinks of him all the time," she continued, still shouting, "The one who is always watching him! You didn't go to his house when he didn't show up at school that year; you didn't miss him every day!"

That was it. I still sometimes had nightmares about that time. The stupid mortal had no idea what line she had just crossed. But she had crossed it anyway, and now she would pay.

I was pulling my fist back for the punch when something in her voice, still crying all that crap, made me stop and rethink. It was a certain tremble, a desperation in the way said she loved him.

She's scared, I realized, but Carola honestly believes it. She really believes she loves him. But it was nothing to the real thing. I knew that Percy would never choose her. I knew that he was mine forever, and I was his. And I knew that deep down, she knew that too, and was afraid that she didn't love him as much as she thought she did.

It was so . . . sad. I felt sorry for her. So I just looked at her, with pity in my eyes. Maybe she saw it, because her screams turned to sobs. She just stood in the hallway, her head in her hands and cried. It was the most pitiful thing I had ever seen. Well, I couldn't hit her now, even if she was crazy and stupid. Plus, she was Percy's friend. Kind of.

"Look," I said over her sobs, "I don't think you really understand how much I love Percy and you really shouldn't make accusations like that, especially since they are not true." I gritted my teeth at what I was about to do. "But I still think, at the very least we could agree to not hate each other," I said holding out my hand.

Carola stared at it for a shocked second, and then exploded.

"How dare you act all high and mighty, as if you're going to be the bigger person! I love Percy and you're mocking me and pretending to do the right thing! I hate you!" she screamed and slapped my hand away. Then she turned and fled, her head still in her hands, so she almost ran into the row of lockers.

I watched her go with feelings of anger and pity still warring in my heart. When she was out of sight however, I just felt exhausted. Stupid mortals.

I leaned against the lockers and sighed. Then footsteps came up beside me and I saw Percy coming towards me.

"You were watching?" I asked tiredly, not surprised.

"Yes," he said quietly and wrapped his arms around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder.

I placed my hands over his on my stomach and leaned back against him.

"I hate mortal schools, they are so draining," I muttered.

He chuckled quietly.

"You did good Wisegirl, not getting mad and all."

I sighed again.

"I couldn't help feeling sorry for her. But that used up about all the humility I have."

"She's crazy."

"Yep."

"Absolutely insane."

"Uh huh."

"Off her rocker."

"I agree."

"We should ditch the others and go get ice cream."

"Nice try Percy," I reply, turning in his arms and giving him a quick kiss.

We walked towards my car hand in hand until a big buff guy blocked our way.

"Hey cutie," he leered at me, checking me out, "What're ya doin' with this loser? Come with me, I'll give ya a real nice time."

I looked him up and down. He had a thick neck, wide jaw and his hair was cut short and combed to one side of his head. His eyes were emotionless and a dull brown. His full pouty lips curled up in a smirk as he saw me staring at him. Disgusted, I turned to Percy.

"_Is everyone in this school a complete moron?_" I asked in Greek, annoyed.

Percy laughed.

"Pretty much," he said in English, "Annabeth, this is Bradley Taylor, the richest guy in school. _He's also a jerk, douschbag, asshole, playboy and happens to hate my guts,_" Percy added in Greek too.

"So," Bradley said, putting a heavy and sweaty arm around my shoulders, "A foreign babe huh? No wonder she's dating you, she doesn't know any better. Come back to my place, Annie baby, and I'll give you a bunch of private English lessons."

I snapped. Honestly, all I was supposed to be doing picking up Percy from school and bringing him to Camp, not taking on almost every annoying mortal in the country.

Grabbing Bradley's arm and twisting it behind him, I forced him to the ground. He yelled into the dirt until I hissed in his ear, "First off, English was my first language. Second, if you ever call me Annie again, I will kill you. Third-" But I was interrupted by Percy wrapping his arms around my waist, picking me up and towing me toward the car.

"Hey!" I yelled, "I wasn't finished with him!"

"I know," he said calmly, "And there are few things that would give me more pleasure than seeing you put him in his place. But I couldn't just sit there while you made the poor, weak, stupid and powerless mortal wet his pants."

I didn't like his logic.

"Besides," he continued cheerfully, "If I had stayed there much longer, I would have killed him myself."

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><p><strong>I wasn't sure how to end this so I kind of cut it off.<strong>

**Review quickly! I need inspiration! And I need someone to read my President Dad FF's.**


	26. What is love?

GO FORWARD AND BE EATEN.

GO BACK AND REGRET IT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

NOT MUCH OF A CHOICE, IS IT?

**I don't know if you will like this one . . . I've never done anything like it, so it's an experiment . . . just read.**

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><p>"Piper?" Hazel asked, sticking her head into Piper's room, "Can I ask you something?"<p>

"Of course Hazel, you can ask me anything," she replied, scooting over on her bed and patting the spot beside her, "What's on your mind?"

Settling herself next to Piper, Hazel looked her straight in the eye and asked, "What is love?"

Piper thought about that for a second.

"Well, different people feel different kinds of love," she said finally, "It means so many differen things."

"But what is the basic true love, like how you could recognize it?"

"I think true love goes even deeper than the mind, body or heart, it comes from deep in your soul, the most basic and irresistable instinct humans have. The person you fall in love with is omeone you need, someone that has such a deep connection and understanding with you, that it is not possible to break."

"Like Percy and Annabeth?" Hazel interrupted.

""Yes, exactly like them," Piper said smiling.

"But what if you fall in love with someone, and then fall in love with a different person after they die or something?"

"That usually happens when you are with a person that isn't your soul mate, but a best friend. You love them, and you could be reasonably happy with them, but it isn't as compelling as the real thing. Some people only find them, and not the person they would truly love. Or they meet them first and then find the other, and get confused and end up dumping one of them. Sometimes when their true love dies, a person would find the friend and live the rest of their life with them, but they wouldn't be nearly as happy. Of course, so many people don't find even them, but just like someone for a simple attraction or respect, not having ever known the real thing."

"Wow," Hazel said, shocked, "That's complicated."

Piper laughed.

"It is," she agreed, "And I'm not sure if it's entirely true. It's just my take on the matter."

"What about love at first sight?"

"I don't believe in such things. You can be attracted to someone, or have a liking for someone when you first see then, but it isn't like, oh this is my one true love, the the first time you set eyes on them."

"Does everyone have a soulmate?"

"No, I don't think so, but the ones that don't, don't want to fall in love, so it doesn't matter to them."

"So if you don't want to fall in love, you won't?"

"No, if you would be happier not in love than in, and you don't want to, then you won't fall in love."

"Oh."

Hazel got up.

"Are you leaving?" Piper asked.

"Yes, thank you for answering my question."

"No problem," she said, bemused.

Hazel paused before the doorway.

"Piper, did _you _find your true love?"

Piper just looked at her and smiled.

"You should go see Frank."

When Hazel was gone, Piper laughed quietly and answered the silence.

"Yes."

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><p><strong>Review! Tell me if it was awful or stupid, okay? These are my thoughts on the subject, not Piper's.<strong>


	27. Random Leyna Drabble

GO FORWARD AND BE EATEN.

GO BACK AND REGRET IT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

NOT MUCH OF A CHOICE, IS IT?

**Heh heh, hey you guys! (dodges knives) Wait, wait! Don't kill me! I know this is really late but . . . Okay I have no excuse but the fact that I'm lazy as hell and couldn't think of anything until this came up, and then for some reason I just never wrote it! But it's here now, so take pity on a poor writer who has been suffering from chocolate withdrawl and read the freaking chapter!**

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><p>Leaving behind the loud and noisy dining hall, Reyna walked down towards the Little Tiber and the Greek's battleship. As she did, the cool night air washed over her, and with it came the sound of someone playing the guitar. Badly. Very badly.<p>

Looking up at the humongous ship, she could just make out the form of someone sitting on the top of the dragons head prow. What was stranger still, was that the dragons head appeared to be moving.

"Hey," Reyna called, "Who's up there? The Greeks won't be pleased you're on their ship!"

"Actually, I don't think they'll mind," a cheerful voice called down, "But if you really want to talk to me that badly, come up here yourself!"

Cursing, Reyna climbed up to where the mysterious person sat. It turned out to be Leo Valdez, guitar in hand and a mischievous smile permanently stuck to his face.

"So," he said in an overly cheerful voice, holding out his hand to help her up, "What are you doing wandering around at this time of night?"

"I could ask you the same thing," she snapped, knocking away his outstretched hand and climbing up to sit beside him.

"Well _I'm _getting away from all the couples down there," he said matter-of-factly, not in the least offended, "And I'm sleeping here anyway."

"What, on this thing?" Reyna asked, shocked.

"Yes! I built it, it's my baby, and you don't go dissing Leo Valdez's baby! Besides, Festus is probably my least annoying friend."

"Festus?"

"The dragon head. _Querida, _let me introduce you to Festus, a ten ton, celestial bronze, dragon head that still breathes fire. Festus, Reyna. Reyna, Festus. Now say hello to each other."

Festus made an odd clicking noise and steam came out of his ears. Leo quickly took a small hammer out of his tool belt and bonked him on the top of the head.

"I'm, uh, still working out a few kinks. Well go on, say hello."

Reyna stared at him in disbelief.

"There is no way I'm saying hello to anything named Happy the Dragon."

Insulted, Festus tried to twist around and bite her, nearly knocking both humans of his head.

"Festus," Leo cried, "You cut that out! _Parar, por favor!_"

Festus snorted, but was still.

Leo glanced sheepishly at Reyna, who glared at him.

"I'm getting off this thing right now. I don't know why the Greeks brought someone as crazy as you, but I'm glad I'm not coming."

She started to climb down.

"Wait!" Leo cried frantically and grabbed her hand.

Reyna snatched it back as his fingers burned her wrist.

Leo looked stricken.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, "I'm so sorry Reyna. I didn't mean to hurt you."

He scooted back so she could only see the top of his head.

"You should go now."

She rubbed her wrist, shocked.

"Did . . . Did you do that? You burned me?"

He nodded miserably.

Reyna hoisted herself up so that she could see the rest of him.

"How?"

Leo held up his hands and a tongue of flame danced on each of his finger tips. Reyna reached out her own hands to touch it, her eyes fixed  
>on the flickering fire. But Leo closed his fist suddenly.<p>

"Don't touch it, you'll get burned again." Then he nodded at the blisters on her wrist. "You should put something on that. Here, pour some of this on it."

He handed her a canteen with a strange golden liquid.

Reyna took it doubtfully.

"What's this?"

"Nectar, drink of the gods," Leo answered with a quick smile. Then he sobered again.

"It really will help. Just don't use too much."

After hesitating for a second, she handed it back to him.

"Thanks, but no thanks."

"What? Why not? Don't you trust me?"

"About as much as I trust Festus over there."

"Why!"

"You're a Greek. For all I know that could be poison."

"Well you're a Roman! That doesn't mean I don't trust you!"

"You trust me?" Reyna asked, surprised.

"Yes!" Leo said exasperatedly. And he realized that it was perfectly true, he didn't know what it was about her, but he knew she was trustworthy.

After and awkward silence, Leo sighed.

"Are you sure you don't want some of this? I'll swear on my life it's not poison."

Reyna hesitated again, but shook her head.

"No. I'm a Roman, I can live with it. Besides, it's nothing to some other burns I've gotten"

"Like what?"

She showed him her tattoos.

"Wow," he muttered, examining them, "That must have hurt a lot."

"It did. But it's part of being Roman. See these lines underneath? That's how many years of training I've completed."

"Wow. Again. At CampHalf-Blood, we get a bead that will remind us of the past summer. We get one of those every year. It's a lot less painful."

"But you only have one," Reyna said, surprised, "Are all campers so young when they come?"

"No, I'm special."

"Can others do that fire thing?"

"No, that's just me too."

Reyna looked at him curiously, but didn't press the point, seeing it made him uncomfortable.

"So, you said you built this ship? All by yourself?"

"Yep!" Leo said, brightening, "This was all me! Well, most of it. My siblings and the Athena cabin helped, but I designed it. Sort of. I drew a crayon picture of it when I was little. The real blueprints were drawn way before I was born."

Reyna gave him a weird look.

"Never mind. Please change the subject."

"You are not very good at the guitar. Why do you try?"

"Weeeeelll . . . My mom used to play the guitar. I thought it would be nice to be able to do it and play her favorite songs. But it seems I haven't inherited that bit of talent. My mom could do pretty much anything to do with her hands."

"I see . . . I think. What do you mean she used to?"

Leo's face hardened, but he forced a weak smile.

"She died in . . . in an accident. I was about seven."

"Oh."

"Oh?" he snarled suddenly, "What do you mean, oh? Do you feel sorry for me? Do you pity me? Well don't! I don't want it!"

He glared at her so fiercely, she leaned back slightly, frowning.

"I do not pity you!" she snapped back at him, "I said oh, because you told me something I hadn't known before. I save my pity for people who need it. Why in the name of the gods would I waste it on you?"

Leo just looked at her.

Disgusted, Reyna stood up again.

"I don't even know why I came up here," she muttered, "You obviously don't need anyone, and I have much better ways to waste my time."

She climbed down and walked away, muttering things under her breath like, _stupid _graceus, and, _don't know why I even bothered._

Reyna was almost to her house when she heard running footsteps behind her. Looking back, she saw Leo stumbling after her and waving his arms like an idiot, trying to get her attention. So she stuck her nose in the air and kept going. Right outside the Praetors house, he caught up and grabbed her arm.

"Don't touch me, _graceus_!" she cried angrily.

Looking hurt, but annoyed, Leo pulled his hand back.

"Okay, _numero uno_, I don't know what 'grachus' means, but it probably wasn't nice. Second, _dos_, I won't burn you again if that's what you're afraid of."

"I am not afraid!" Reyna growled.

"_Y tres_, I did come here to apologize, if you will let me."

Reyna looked at him suspiciously, but he seemed sincere.

"Fine," she huffed, plopping down on her doorstep, "You have ten seconds. Impress me."

"Ten seconds?" Leo yelled.

"Eight seconds now."

Leo took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry I burned you, and then made you stay when you didn't want to, and wasted your time, and then got mad at you for no good reason and it's not really my fault because my dad said, not good with organic life forms and he was right, and I just wanted to talk to someone who wasn't so caught up in all that lovey dovey stuff, and I'm sorry but my mom is touchy subject and it's my fault she's dead so don't talk about her or my powers because it's their fault too and this would all be much easier if you were a machine, but you're not, so I don't know how to talk to you without feeling like I want to run away, but at the same time I want you to stay, and I think that my ten seconds are up I'll just go know . . ." and he trailed off awkwardly and started backing away.

Reyna made an odd sound and covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking slightly.

"Uh, what? What is it? Are you okay?" Leo didn't know what to do.

"I-I'm s-s-s-sor-r-ry," Reyna gasped, "You-You just spoke s-s-so f-fast and . . ." she had to stop because she was laughing too hard.

"Wait, _that _made you laugh? I've been trying to be funny since I met you, but you're laughing at _that?_"

Reyna nodded, unable to speak.

Then Leo started laughing too.

"W-wait, why are _you _laughing too?" she asked, giggling weakly.

"Sorry," Leo chortled, "But you look funny when you laugh. Your face gets all red. It's really cute."

Reyna blushed harder, and they finally muffled their snickers.

"Thank you, Leo Valdez," she said suddenly, "I haven't laughed in a long time."

"Really?" Leo asked, shocked.

"Well, there hasn't been much to laugh about lately. And I'm the only consistent Praetor right now. They need to know their leader's strong, not goofing off all the time."

"What's wrong with goofing off?" Leo cried indignantly, "I probably wouldn't be here if it wasn't for goofing off!"

"It's weak."

"The world isn't separated into bad and weak, and good and strong."

"If you just make jokes all the time, you'll never be able to face your problems head on. You're just running away from them."

"Fine, you're right, I'm a coward. You caught me. Happy? I've spent my whole life running away, why should now be any different?"

"Don't you feel a connection to anything? Isn't there someone or someplace you can't leave, something you'd give up anything for?"

Leo blew out a long breath.

"Well, kind of," he said, running a hand through his curly brown hair, "I mean, I love my siblings back home at camp, and all my friends. And I'll go to any lengths to defeat Gaea and avenge my mom. But if all that disappeared, I guess I'd just move on, find another something else. To tell the truth, this is the longest I've ever stayed in one place."

He looked over at Reyna who had been still while she listened.

"What about you? Would you leave, if you had the choice? To escape from all the responsibility and pain? To be able to laugh as loud and hard as you want, without anyone else caring?"

Reyna was silent, and then said, "Even if I did leave, the responsibility wouldn't just go away. This is my home, I'm not losing it again. I'll do whatever it takes to save it, even if it kills me."

"That won't do you any good."

"I'm not going to be as selfish as thinking about myself."

"Aaaah, I'm not good with organic life forms. Too bad you aren't a machine."

"Would you like me better if I were?"

Leo looked her up and down as he leaned against the house. Eyes flashing as she glared at him, dark hair glistening in the moonlight, eyebrows arched.

"Hmm. Maybe not. But if you were, I would probably be able to fix you. I'd like that."

"I never asked to be fixed."

"But when something is broken, I've got to repair it. It's kind of my job, or maybe my life style . . .?"

"Sticking your nose in other peoples business, and messing with their lives for your own amusement, is selfish."

"Thinking about yourself isn't always selfish. We're only human."

"_You_ are selfish."

"_You_ have no proper emotions."

"_You_ are a coward."

"_You _are cold."

"This argument is getting us nowhere," Reyna huffed, "It is obvious we can't agree on anything, so I'm going to bed."

"Now who's running away," he muttered, but softly, so she wouldn't hear him.

"Good night, Leo Valdez."

"Good night, Reyna," Leo sighed.

He turned away but-

"Leo?"

"Hmn?"

"You really are terrible at the guitar."

And she closed the door in his face.

Stunned, Leo walked back to the Argo II, wondering if it was advisable to fall for your best friend's ex-kind of-girlfriend, and silently cursing his dad and stepmother.

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><p><strong>Sould I delete the last chapter? Have I lost my touch? Please give me your opinion. I think this one is much more up to my usual standard, more than the last one, anyway. Hope you like, GO LEYNA!<strong>

**And PLEEEEEEEEEEEASE review. I'm seriously down on my knees here.**


	28. Coming Home

GO FORWARD AND BE EATEN.

GO BACK AND REGRET IT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

NOT MUCH OF A CHOICE, IS IT?

**If no one reviews to say that I should keep chapter twenty six, I'm getting rid of it. Also, when the next chapter comes, should I put all the chapters in time order? Or do you guys like it random?**

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><p><strong>Paul's P.O.V.<strong>

I opened the door to the apartment and turned on the light in the hallway. Sally and I had just gone out for dinner to celebrate the end of the war. Don't ask me how she knew it was over, because nobody told us.

Sally walked down the short corridor to the living room. I turned around when I heard her purse, thump to the floor.

"Paul," she whispered in a strangled voice, "Paul, they're back."

"What?" I gasped and strode to her side. There, lying on the couch, curled up together under a blanket, were Percy and Annabeth. We just stared at them for a shocked second. Then I started forward, opening my mouth to speak. But Sally grabbed my arm and whispered, "Wait, not yet. Let them sleep."

I looked at her. Her eyes were wet with tears of joy. I understood. After years of worry, she couldn't bear to wake them up when they looked so peaceful.

Sally sank down in an arm chair, her eyes still fixed on her son's sleeping face. I looked at her.

"You're going to stay here," I guessed.

She nodded.

"Could you wake me up at seven, if I fall asleep?"

I nodded. "Sure."

I took a shower and changed into my tee shirt and old sweats. When I went back to the living room, Sally was zonked out too. I smiled and sat in the chair next to her. The next second, I was passed out too.

* * *

><p><strong>Percy's P.O.V.<strong>

I woke to my stomach grumbling. I could guess why. The delicious smell of home made waffles and bacon permeated the air. Gods. I hadn't smelled that for _years._ Carefully, so as not to wake Annabeth, I sat up, wiping the drool from the corner of my mouth as a reflex.

"Rise and shine, sleepy head," a familiar voice called cheerfully.

"Mom?"

"Of course silly," she said, engulfing me in a hug.

"It's so good to have my baby boy home," she whispered in my ear, and proceeded to try to kiss every inch of my face.

"It's good to see you too mom," I said, laughing out of pure relief and hugging her back.

Paul came up and clapped me on the back.

"Glad you're back, Percy," he said, then lowered his voice slightly and continued drily, "Your mom was a bit worried whether you'd come home at all."

"Nice to know everyone has so much faith in me," I muttered, while my mom swatted Paul's arm.

"Don't be silly, you two, I had complete faith in you! But really, Percy, eight months without a word and then you call to say you're on a quest? Do you know how _worried _we all were?"

"Do I smell waffles?" Annabeth asked, waking up, rubbing her eyes and looking around blearily.

_Saved,_ I thought, as Mom started fussing over her. Soon we were all seated at the kitchen table, talking and laughing as if we'd never left.

"So, Percy," Paul said, handing over the jug of maple syrup, "How do you plan on making up for missing you two final years of high school?"

I was so startled that I upended half the syrup onto my plate, completely drowning my breakfast.

"Uh, I hadn't really thought about that . . ."

"Of course, you've been busy saving the world," Paul acknowledged, while Annabeth gave a cough that sounded suspiciously like, _Seaweedbrain._

I spent the rest of the morning having to think about all that awful stuff. Finally, at around one, I stood up and said,

"Um, we can talk about this later, right? Annabeth and I should probably go . . ." I looked at her, hoping for help, but she just winked at me and said innocently, "Go where Percy?"

"Go no where, not for at least a week," Mom said sharply, "You just got back, let me keep you a little while longer."

"You two can stay here," Paul said cheerfully, "We don't mind. And we're having pasta with meatballs for lunch."

Annabeth looked at me beseechingly.

"Well, if you insist . . ."

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><p><strong>This story is almost done! So review like Barney is chasing you with a rubber snake on roller skates! Faster! Don't give in to the non-reviewing forces of darkness!<strong>


	29. The End, Or the Beginning

GO FORWARD AND BE EATEN.

GO BACK AND REGRET IT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

NOT MUCH OF A CHOICE, IS IT?

** AAAAAAHHHHHH! It's finally summer! And Mr. Spade and Maggie are moving away! That's sad. But never mind my personal problems.**

**This is probably the last chapter in this story. If I get another idea, I'll post it, but there will be no more regular updates. On the bright side, I will be doing another PJO story over the summer, but I'll need a little while to get started, so you won't see me for a bit. Thanks to everyone who has stuck by this. I apologize to anyone who was offended, hurt or annoyed by it, I meant no harm! **

* * *

><p><strong><span>Thalia<span>**

"Well," I said, hugging Jason and Piper tightly, "You guys be good to each other. Seriously Piper, if he annoys you to much, the Hunters are happy to have you. Or you can IM me and I'll come over and kick his butt for you!"

"Thalia," Jason scolded, while Piper laughed, "Don't even joke about that!"

"Don't worry Thalia," Piper told me, confidently, "I can deal with him."

I ruffled Jason's hair as he spluttered and blushed.

"I love you little brother, never forget that! Call me any time."

I said goodbye to the others, noogied Nico, and then snuck up behind my favorite cousin.

"You," I growled, grabbing him in a headlock, "No more disappearing! Got it? Or else I'll come back and knock you out for a lot longer than eight months."

Percy choked and Annabeth said, "Uh, Thalia, could you let him down? I don't think he can breathe."

"Eh? Oh, sorry Perce," I apologized, letting go, "Being immortal never gets old, right? Not that you'd know."

Percy rubbed his neck and muttered something under his breath that probably wasn't very nice, but since I was in a forgiving mood, so I let it go.

"Annabeth, you're my best friend, but for the life of me I don't know what you see in my cousin. You could do so much better."

She sighed.

"I don't really expect you to, Thalia."

I hugged her and then squeezed Percy as hard as I could and whispered a few more threats into his ear before releasing him and turning to the forest.

I started to run, and the ground disappeared under my flying feet, the wind whipping my face, but even it couldn't catch me.

I leapt and bounded over fallen trees and streams, I was a falcon, no, a wolf! Racing nature to my sister pack, and winning.

_Let the others have their love stories and human lives, _I thought gleefully, _I am Thalia, first lutenint to Lady Artemis, I am an immortal maiden, free in every earthly way, I am the huntress of the night, catch me if you can!_

**Jason**

I leaned over the side of the ship, letting the wind whip my hair and watching the clouds roll underneath us. But there were less pleasant thing to think about, and they had to be voiced. But someone else said it, before I did.

"Where will you go?" Piper asked, coming up and standing next to me.

I looked over, at her choppy, uneven, chocolate colored hair blowing in the wind. Her kaleidoscope eyes scrutinizing me. I couldn't help but smile a little.

"I think . . . I think I need to go back. Back toCampJupiter. I mean, it's my home. My first real home. And I'll be Praetor there. Percy's not going to do it, and there has to be someone. I think it's supposed to be me. The people there . . . they need me. They need me to lead them."

"There are other people who need you," Piper said softly. She wasn't crying, or complaining. She was just stating a fact.

"There are other people I need too," I murmured, and took her hands in both of mine. She leaned her forehead against mine and we closed our eyes.

"You could come with me," I blurted out.

"I have to at least go back toCampHalf-Blood, at least one more time. My siblings don't deserve to be controlled by Drew again."

"But after that?"

"I'll come. Me and Leo both. I promise."

"How do I know you'll really come?"

Piper stepped back and cocked her head.

"So you want to dance, or what?"

"With no music," I said, smiling, "On a dragon boat hundreds of miles in the air. Sounds dangerous."

"I'm a dangerous girl," she said, smiling.

"That I can believe."

She was right. Percy and Annabeth weren't the only ones with a love story.

_A year later_

"Come on Jason, he's not going to bite."

"Ha, yeah right. That would be the Roman reaction."

"Well he isn't Roman. Quite frankly, he'll just be happy there's someone out there crazy enough to be my boyfriend."

"For about the first three seconds. Then he'll drill me for every bit of information I have, and when he finds a fault, throw me out on the street because I can't tell him anything good!"

Piper rolled her eyes and knocked on the door.

"I promise he won't hurt you," she whispered as footsteps drew closer.

" !" a butler exclaimed, opening the door, "Good to see you home again! Your father is waiting for you in the living room."

"Thank you, Smithers, and can you have the cook make his favorite snack? I need him to be in a good mood today."

"Of course," Smithers eyed Jason, who was standing to the side nervously, and nodded in understanding.

"Let's go," Piper muttered, and dragged Jason by the hand to where her father was.

"Dad?"

"Aah, Piper," Tristan McLean cried happily when she entered the room, "Glad to have you back."

He strode over and hugged her.

"Oh? And who's this?" he asked suspiciously, seeing Jason for the first time.

"Umm, Dad, this is Jason," Piper said, pulling him forward.

"He's my boyfriend," she added, seeing her father's confusion.

His expression changed from shock, to delight, to wary and protective.

"I see," he said with a tight smile, "Well, why don't we all sit down and have a snack? I'm sure Smithers would be happy to bring some-"

"I've already asked him," Piper interrupted.

"Oh."

They sat down awkwardly, Jason and Piper on the couch and Tristan on a chair. Jason busied himself in looking around at the large windows and white airy coloring of the comfortable room, anywhere but at Piper's dad.

"So, Jason," Tristan started, and Jason flinched, "Who are your parents?"

"Uh, my mom died when I was about two, and my father, uh, left a while ago. I don't know too much about them."

"You live on your own? No other relatives?"

"I have a sister, but she travels a lot, and I live at another camp."

It continued like this for sometime, ending up being exactly the Spanish Inquisition-like interview Jason had been expecting and dreading.

Finally Piper, unable to stand the tension in the room, got up saying, "I'd better see what's taking Smithers so long with the snacks," and left the room, leaving the two males alone.

"Listen, boy," he said in a cold voice, "I don't want you anywhere near my daughter. Go home to whatever rock you live under and leave us in peace. I will say that you had to go, and that you said to tell her that it just wasn't working out. But I'm not letting you date my Piper. Now you will leave."

I was shocked, but then angry. How dare he tell me, Jason Grace, that I wasn't good enough? I was good enough for Piper, and he should respect that.

"No."

"What?" Tristan asked sharply, standing up. I stood up too. I was as tall as he was.

"I said no," I told him in a stronger voice, "I'm sorry sir, but Piper means more to me than anything else in this world, and I'm not giving her up just because you don't approve."

"You have nothing to offer her. You can not give her a safe home, a good family. She would be better off with someone who was not from that freak camp place."

"She might be better off, if she were normal. But nobody normal could ever understand her."

"How dare you insult-"

"Your daughter is the smartest, powerful, kindest and beautiful person I've ever met, and I don't care if I have nothing to offer but myself, I'll make her happy if it's the last thing I do!"

I glared at Tristan. Tristan glared at me. Then, inexplicably, he began to laugh. I watched, bewildered, as he sank back in his chair, clutching his stomach.

"Oh," he gasped, "I like you boy! Good man! You are perfect for my daughter. Go and marry her, if you will, I give you blessing! Ha ha ha!"

"Uh, what?" I asked stupidly, not understanding.

"My dear boy," Tristan chuckled, "I'm an _actor_. If you're really crazy enough to date my daughter, I have no reason to stop you, except to make sure this isn't some whim for her looks."

"So . . . so you weren't really mad? You really don't mind?"

"Of course not!" he cried happily, "I wish you guys the best of luck!"

"I told you so," a voice from the doorway said smugly. Piper stood there with the snacks, grinning at us.

"Sorry about that," Tristan said, calming down, "but it was necessary. Why don't we start over? Hi," he said, holding out his hand, "I'm Tristan McLean, father of the girl you're dating, and if you don't treat her right, you will wake up with a sword in your chest."

"I'm Jason Grace," I answered swiftly, shaking his hand, "And I'll take care of her like my life depends on it."

"You two are the most dramatic, over protective, idiots I've ever met," Piper announced, setting the tray down.

"That's why you love us," we said together, smirking.

**Hazel**

"The mall?" Frank said incredulously, "we're going to the mall?"

"Yes!" I said happily, taking his hand and pulling him forward.

"But why?"

"Because we have to go Christmas shopping! This is the first Christmas we've all been together. I want it to be special."

"So who are we getting presents for?"

"Everyone!"

"Everyone? Like, everyone everyone?"

"Yep!"

"But neither of us have that kind of money!"

"Wrong!" I cried gleefully, "My dad is the god of jewels and precious metals! He pays me for every one of the cursed rocks, and I've been saving all year! Come on!"

I dragged him through every single store, and we found almost all the presents we needed. There was a book on architecture for Annabeth, a giant bag of blue candy for Percy, we got the special mechanical springy part of something that Leo had been wanting and for Reyna we found a t-shirt that read, _I'm the Queen, Kiss my Ass _on it.

"She's going to kill us!" Frank groaned when we purchased it.

For Ella, we got a book on world facts, Tyson would get a new paintball gun, Mrs. O'Leary a giant rubber ball, for Thalia and the Hunters, a special first class private jet to Australia, Jason got a dog tag with 'sparky' on it, Piper a new CD, Dakota some herbal tea, (we were trying to break him of Kool-Aid,) Gwen earrings, Octavian a few stuffed animal that I deemed too ugly to let live, and finally a book on ancient burial rights for my brother.

"Is that everything?" Frank sighed, struggling to lift all the bags.

"I think so . . . no, wait! I have to get you something too! What would you like?"

"Oh, uh," Frank blushed, "you don't need to get me anything Hazel."

"But you're my boyfriend," I cried, "I have to, and I _want _to! Just tell me what you want! I can pay for pretty much anything."

Once Frank realized that there was no getting out me giving him something, he gave in.

"Fine," he sighed resignedly, "If you really want to that badly, how about you take half of these bags and buy me a coffee and we sit down for a while? I'm exhausted."

I agreed and we went to Starbucks. I got a caramel hot chocolate with extra whipped cream, and Frank had a mocha frapachino with cinnamon swirls, and we sat outside in the cold to drink them.

"Are you sure this is all I can do?" I asked worriedly, "I want to make this Christmas special for everyone, especially you. But I dragged you out shopping and made you carry everything."

Frank smiled and put his arm around me.

"I wanted to come, and I really don't mind being able to use my strength. Just being with you, and seeing you happy is enough. But if it makes you feel better, we can go ice skating or sledding some other time. I don't mind, as long as I'm with you, okay?"

I beamed.

"Okay!"

Then I reached up and gave a peck on the lips.

"I like being with you too," I whispered, snuggling into his broad shoulder.

Frank blushed, and we watched the snowflakes spiraling down on our heads. It was the best Christmas, ever!

**Rachel**

I climbed slowly up to my cave in the mountain after an exhausting day welcoming home the hero's from the war. Everyone else was of course, still celebrating, but I was only mortal and therefore susceptible to human things like over exertion.

When I finally got up the long winding path, the fist thing I did was take a long hot shower, then wrap myself in a fluffy white towel and sit on my bed to brush my hair. Maybe tomorrow I would talk to Percy and Annabeth privately and congratulate them on their engagement.

"You know, no one else knows about that," a voice behind me said, "you'll be in trouble if you say anything without them even knowing that you know."

"That was why I was going to do it privately, and stop reading my thoughts!"

"Why?" the sun god asked, stretching lazily in my favorite chair by the modern fire place, "It's so much easier than waiting for you to start a conversation."

"It's perverted," I snapped, clutching the towel tightly, "and so are you."

"What?" Apollo cried, shocked, "Why?"

I looked very deliberately down at myself and then raised my eyebrows at him.

"Oh, that," he said, waving an airy hand, "Don't worry, you look beautiful."

"I'm not wearing anything!" I exploded.

He smirked, "Exactly."

"I'm supposed to be an eternal maiden! Why are always flirting with me?"

Apollo looked at me with something like pity.

"Yes, you are to never officially love anyone, but the spirit of the Oracle gets passed from mother to daughter, so how do you think that works? Besides, it's not like we _need _to have sex, technically I'm already working through you, but-"

"You pervert!" I screeched, and threw a crystal ball at him, "How can you say that! I'm eighteen, I'm not having kids anytime soon, especially not with you, so-! Why are you laughing!"

He was rolling on the floor, howling with laughter, tears running down his face.

"Oh, you should have seen the look on your face when I said that!" he cackled, "Oh, that was beautiful, really, I've never seen anyone's face get so red!"

"You were teasing me!" I yelled, incensed, now blushing redder than a fire truck.

"That's it!" I cried, and shoved towards the door, "Get out! Out! Now!"

"Okay, okay, I'm going," he chortled as I pushed him through the cave entrance.

"By the way, he called through the curtain, "you have a prophecy at ten, so don't go to sleep yet! This one'll be important, I need people to hear it!"

I huffed. This meant another sleepless night.

The next day I woke up in my cave bed with a pounding headache and almost no memory of the night before. Shit, I must have spoken a prophecy then passed out. But how did I get back here?

I looked around and noticed a card and a small bottle on my bedside table. When I opened the card up, it started playing We Are Young. Cursing the infernal song to the fieriest pits in Tartarus, I read what it said.

_My most beloved Oracle,_

_Good morning! Sorry about the headache, just take the medicine next to the card and you should be fine. You were so tired, I saw no point in waking you up after your little fainting spell, so I put you to sleep for about twelve hours. I also, in apology for upsetting you yesterday, carried you back to the cave and changed you into your pajamas. Hence, the song._

_Lots of love from your favorite boss,_

_Phoebus Apollo, Slayer of the Mighty Python, God of the Sun, Poetry, Medicine and Prophecy, Voted Best Looking Male God_

_P.S. Don't diss the song! Janelle Monae is a genius!_

"APOLLO!"

**Leo**

"Pleeeeeease Reyna?"

"No."

"Pretty, pretty please?"

"No."

"Pretty, pretty please with ice cream and chocolate and rainbow sprinkles and that new gladius you want on top?"

"No way."

"Whyyyyyyyyy?"

"Why do you think Leo?" Reyna snapped, throwing her book down and looking up from the chair she was reclining in, "Why on earth would the leader of the Romans not want to go to the Greek camp?"

"Jason did it!" I pouted, leaning on the back of the chair and playing with the end of her long braid.

"Only because he was kidnapped and had his memories erased!" Reyna reminded me, slapping my hand away.

I frowned in thought, and then suddenly spun her chair around so she was facing me.

"Leo, what are you-?" But she was cut off because I kissed her roughly.

Losing her train of thought, she kissed me back and ran her hands through my hair, stroking the light stubble on my jaw.

After several minutes, we broke apart, panting heavily. I rested my forehead against hers and trailed tiny kisses up and down her cheek.

"Please?" I breathed in her ear.

"Well," Reyna murmured reluctantly, and leaned forward a little to kiss me again, and I smirked, thinking I had won. But just before our lips met, she went up a bit and kissed my nose.

"Nope!"

**Grover**

"They'll be here soon, Grover," Juniper assured me, squeezing my hand tightly.

I nodded stiffly. My friends, my best friends, were finally coming home, but anything could have happened since I saw them last, and that was like, a year ago. Any of them could be dead.

"Hey!" one of the twins called from the tree where they were perched on look out, "I think I see them! They're-" But his cry was cut short when he fell out of the tree. Ignoring the other one who was laughing, Katie helped him up off the ground, scolding and dusting him off. Must have been Travis. He and Katie started dating a few months ago.

I squinted into the distance, and could just make out a speck on the horizon that was getting steadily bigger.

"'Bout time," Clarisse grumbled, but I could tell she was relieved too.

Finally, as the sun started to set, the ship landed and we all ran towards it, hardly daring to hope who would get off it.

A head popped over the railing, and smiled down at us.

"Hey," Percy said cheerfully, as if he hadn't been missing for the last year or so, "Did you miss me?"

The next person we saw was Annabeth, and then the others.

When they came off, everyone assaulted them, shaking their hands, hugging them, patting them on the back, saying how much they had missed them, and almost crying with joy.

Eventually, Percy broke free of the chaos and spotted me.

"Hey G-man!" he cried, and he and Annabeth came forward.

"Peeeeeercy! Aaaaaannabeth!" I bleated and hugged them.

"Glad to see you guys still alive," I grinned.

Percy laughed.

"Glad to be alive, Grover," Annabeth sighed.

**Piper**

It was time to go home, so I went looking for Percy and Annabeth to tell them to hurry up. I finally found them in an empty hallway on the Argo II, leaning against the wall and talking and laughing quietly. I hid behind the corner to watch. They were so-

"Hey," a voice interrupted my thoughts. I jumped, and then realized it was Jason.

"Hey," I responded, twining my hand with his.

"Aren't you going to tell them it's time to go?" Jason asked, nodding at the couple.

"In a bit," I said, still gazing at them, "But I like watching them. They're even easier to read when they're alone together."

"But they are just talking. We can't even hear what they're saying."

"Yes, but when they talk to each other, they use more than their voices. They can communicate with their whole bodies, without even touching. And they know the other so well, that they can understand what they are saying. It's quite fascinating to watch them."

"I see . . . Well no, I don't see, not really. But after all they are, 'The most famous love story since Helen and Paris.'"

I looked up into his sky blue eyes and smiled. He grinned in return, the cute little scar on his upper lip, curving into a crescent.

"They aren't the only ones," I murmured, and reached up to kiss him.

"Ahem," someone coughed.

We broke apart to see Percy and Annabeth smirking at us with their eyebrows raised.

"Umm, we were just," Jason tried to explain, blushing.

"We were just coming to tell you it was time to go," I said hurriedly, seeing that he was floundering. Jason shot me a grateful look.

"Uh huh," Annabeth gave us a _look_.

"Well, we'd better get going," Percy snickered, and they sauntered off.

"We catch them alone and _we're_ the ones being teased," Jason muttered to me.

"Don't worry," I laughed, "we still have plenty of people to tease. Like Leo."

"Oooohhh, yes, I need to get him back for the thing with the crocodile and the fireworks."

"We are such good friends."

"Yep," Leo said cheerfully, coming up behind us and throwing an arm around our shoulders, "We'll be known as, 'Brave Jason, Amazing Piper, and of course, the Mighty, Magnificent, Awe Inspiring, Leo the !"

"That's a bit long," I noticed, "But you could sum it up as crazy."

"I will have you know," Leo said indignantly, "That when we get there, I'll be able to see my own girlfriend! And _she _doesn't mind that I'm crazy!"

We both stared at him.

"You have a girlfriend!" Jason cried, shocked.

"Well, not yet, I haven't gotten around to asking her out, but in time we'll be just as lovey dovey as the rest of you mere mortals, so don't get your hopes up!"

"But-But who is it!" Jason spluttered.

"Reyna, of course," Leo said, as if that should be obvious.

I seriously thought Jason would faint, right there and then.

**Nico**

"Psst, Hazel!" I hiss, and wait for her to join me in the shadow of the forest.

"What is it Nico?" she asked worriedly, "Are you all right?"

I looked down at her. She had dark skin, curly hair and was younger than me. She was the exact opposite of Bianca. But now I realized I loved her just as much.

"Look, I'm . . . not good at life. Or anything of that sort," I started awkwardly, but she cut me off.

"I love you too, Nico," she smiled and squeezed me tight. After a moments surprise, I hugged her back. It was odd, feeling like I had to take care of someone.

"Bianca would be proud," she whispered in my ear. That brought tears to my eyes, and I rested my head on her shoulder to steady myself.

"If . . . if you ever need someone, or want to talk," I finally said, pushing her away, "I'll, uh, be with dad. I might visit sometime, see how Frank is treating you."

Hazel winked and laughed, "All right big brother, and I'll be here too, if you ever need me."

"Thanks, little sis," I said, and ruffled her hair.

I started to disappear into the cool shadows, but then popped my head back out.

"Wait, Hazel, could you tell Percy . . . ah, just tell him I'm sorry."

She nodded in understanding and skipped off to the others. I smiled as I saw Frank put an arm around her before I shadow traveled away.

It makes all the difference, having a family, someone you can rely on, someone to protect.

**Reyna**

Leaning against the window, I looked out at the pouring rain and sighed. I hate the rain. It makes me feel sick. And tired. And grumpy. I sighed again, and then noticed two figures out in the wet. They weren't wearing rain coats, and when the lightning flashed, I recognized Jason and Piper. They started spinning around and around, laughing, and then fell over, lying next to each other.

_That's right, _I thought, _Jason always liked the rain._

I didn't know what to feel. I wasn't sad, or jealous, or angry.

I twisted the curtain in her hand. I had once liked Jason, not a lot, but enough. Not anymore. I'm with Leo. It was different, being around Leo. He was so cheerful and funny, and always energetic and annoying. When I'm with him, I feel relieved, and less stressed. And warm. Very warm.

Smiling, a little sadly, I gently closed the curtain. That part of my life was over now.

"Hey, _querida,_" Leo's voice called, "could you help me set this stuff up?"

He came in carrying a bunch of plates and silverware, and set them on the table.

"I made tacos, I just hope there's enough for every- Reyna, what's wrong?"

I crossed the room and leaned my head against his chest.

"Nothing," I muttered, "I just hate the rain."

Leo looked down at me in surprise for a second, but then wrapped his arms around me securely and kissed the top of my head.

"Yeah," he said simply, "Me too."

**Frank**

"Nooooooooo!"

"C'mon, Hazel, it's not going to be that bad. Everyone else is going to be there, and besides, you don't have a choice."

"But why? I'm perfectly happy at camp, with people who understand, with my friends!"

"Your friends are here too! This is where Percy is, and Annabeth, and Piper and Leo and Jason. And me! We're all here."  
>"I've been to school before Frank Zhang, and I know how awful it is. You can't fool me."<p>

"Hazel, that was over seventy years ago. Things have changed. And there are new things to learn. Like modern technology, and new history, and mortal social skills. We all need these things, that's why we go to school. And this one is easier because Paul knows we're different and can help if we get in trouble."

Hazel tried a different tactic.

"If all these demigods go to one school, there will be so many monsters running around, we'll get people killed. I'd be doing them a service, since I'm the daughter of one of the Big Three, by not going."

"Nice try, but your dad was the one who ordered you here in the first place, and anyway, after Gaea was defeated, almost all the monsters have been sent to Tartarus for an undetermined length of time."

Hazel slumped in my arms, seemingly defeated.

"Please," she whimpered, "please don't make me do this."

My heart melted. She looked unbelievably cute, with her big eyes brimming with tears, her lower lip jutting out a little in a pout.

I sighed.

I couldn't go against the god's wishes, but I couldn't make Hazel miserable either. So I swung her small body up so that she was seated on one of my shoulders.

"Frank!" she shrieked, clinging to my neck, "What're you doing?"

"Being so big has some advantages. I'm carrying you to school."

We were silent as I continued walking down the street to Goode High. She was really light.

"Listen, Hazel, I know you don't want to do this. But I also know you don't have a choice. So I promise to you, I'll do whatever it takes to make school fun for you. Okay?"

"Okay," she whispered, "But I'm only fourteen. I'm too young for high school. What if-"

"Hey," I said comfortingly, "don't worry about that. We'll beat up anyone who does anything to make you unhappy. And you're really smart. You'll catch up with a little help and tutoring from Annabeth."

"I don't need you guys to protect me," she muttered, but I was glad she had calmed down.

We finally got to school, early, by the way, and what do you know, the first people we see when we walk n the door are our friends.

"Hey, you guys!" we called, and when they turned around, we saw that Percy and Annabeth, were handcuffed to-

"Brother!" Hazel shrieked, jumping down and running to him, and then squeezing him so tightly he choked.

"Hazel," he gasped, as he started to turn blue, "I know I've talked to you about the whole displaying affection thing."

"Oops," she giggled, and released him. Then she looked around.

"Thalia? What are you doing here?"

Because Thalia was attached to Annabeth, the same way Nico was to Percy.

Thalia growled a little, but didn't answer, due to the fact that she was clenching her teeth so hard, they looked like they might soon break.

"We dragged her here," Jason explained cheerfully, "She and Nico are here for the same reasons you are, Hazel."

"Do you have any idea how demeaning it is for me to be kidnapped and forced to be here by my younger brother and cousin? Not to mention my traitorous best friend," Thalia burst out, glaring at Annabeth.

"What, you think I want to be handcuffed to a cranky sixteen year old girl for who knows how long?" Annabeth snapped, "I didn't choose this."

"Well I can't even do anything in these stupid shackles!" Nico cried, "None of my powers work! I tried to shadow travel, but I just got a really big headache and didn't go anywhere! What're these things made of anyway?"

Everyone shrugged.

"See, Hazel?" I whispered in her ear, "Everyone's here. We can all be miserable together."

"Isn't that nice," she muttered darkly.

Suddenly, a shrill ringing filled the air.

"That's the bell," Percy said grimly, "You guys, try not to destroy anything. Piper, if any of these guys try to escape, use whatever means to bring them back. I'm sure Leo would love to help also."

"Ooooohh, yeah, bring on the pain!" Leo shouted, making everyone else in the hallway turn towards us, as if we weren't attracting enough attention already.

"C'mon Hazel," Jason said warmly, "You're with me and Piper for first period." Piper nodded at her encouragingly.

Hazel started shaking again.

"Go on," I gave her a little push.

"But-"

"Go. It'll be all right, you'll see."

She looked at me, her eyes searching my face for the truth.

"Promise?"

I felt my insides crumble.

"Hazel, if you can break a curse, date a shape shifter, deal with this crazy immortal family, _and _still have time to save the world, there is no doubt you can get through your first day of high school. And if anyone, and I mean anyone, bothers you, tell me and I'll squish them like bugs."

She laughed.

"Okay," she said, kissed me on the cheek and followed Jason and Piper to class, stopping before turning the corner to wave and smile at me, and then disappearing from my sight. I kept staring in that direction for a while, until Leo grabbed the back of my collar.

"C'mon Lover Boy, we need to get to class too," and he dragged me off.

Of course, I was right. By the end of the day, everybody aside from a few bitchy individuals was in love with the adorable, genius, fourteen year old girl who was nice to everybody. The teachers adored her, and upon hearing she was motherless, instantly gave her as much encouragement as they could. She was surrounded by a bunch of friends when I came saw her at the parking lot where we were all meeting.

"Who is that?" I heard one of the girls whisper to Hazel as I waved at her.

"My boyfriend," she smiled, and ran up and hugged me. She waved goodbye to her friends and turned towards me smiling as I started the second car.

"Well?" I asked, ignoring Jason, Piper and Leo in the back seat.

"Oh Frank," she breathed, "It was so much fun! First we . . ."

And she proceeded to tell me about her day as we drove back home, while I thought that I could get very used to this.

**Annabeth**

After dinner, I decided to take Percy's advice and go to bed early, for the baby's sake. I brushed my teeth and then stripped off my clothes, stepping into the hot water, letting it relax my tense muscles. First I washed my hair, and then as I started scrubbing my arms, I saw something move in the corner.

_O gods_, I thought weakly, _Ohgodsohgodsohgodsohgod_. Not here. Not now. I couldn't move, not to turn the shower off or run away. I remembered something about how a baby could be mutated if the mom had a scare while she was pregnant, so I tried not to think about thethingthatmustnotbenamed, and averted my eyes from the wall.

"Percy?" I tried to call, but my voice was hoarse and faint. I tried again, this time louder.

"Percy? Could you come in here?"

"Annabeth? Are you okay?" Percy's voice came from the other side of the door, "You sound like you have a mouse in your throat."

Stupid Seaweedbrain.

"Percy, I need you to come in here, look into the corner, completely and totally dispose of what's there, and then not laugh at me," I told him in my calmest voice.

"Umm, okaaaayy," he said slowly, opened the door, and scanned the room, his eyes finally resting on the _thing _on the wall. His face broke into a smirk as he surveyed my situation, and then leaned up against the wall, checking me out.  
>"Hmm. You know, this is a good look for you," he commented casually, "you should wear it more often."<p>

"Perseus Jackson," I growled, and he flinched, "You kill that thing or I will scream and panic and go so mentally insane, I will not know who you are, and then I will undoubtedly kill you in some slow and painful way. Perhaps slicing you up into little bits, feeding them to a wild boar and then throwing the boar in an active volcano? Would you like that?"

"All right, all right," he said hastily, taking a wad of toilet paper and coming over to see where _it _was, "No need to get so graphic with the death threats."

He finally spotted it, high up on the tiled wall of the shower.

One of its many, hairy legs twitched.

"Percy!" I shrieked, closing my eyes tightly, "It's moving!"

"Yes, Annabeth, I can see that," he said calmly.

Slowly, so slowly I'm sure it was purely out of the pleasure he gets from my pain, he moved forward and squashed the giant pale brown spider that had been harassing me.

Once I heard the flush of the toilet, I opened my eyes a crack.

"Is it gone?"

"It's gone," Percy confirmed, still smirking, "and now you owe me, so how about letting me join you in that shower that has yet to be finished?"

In answer, I shoved him out the door and locked it with a satisfying click. Unfortunately, I could still hear him sniggering all down the hall.

**Percy**

I stared up at the branches of Thalia's old tree, but not really seeing them, letting the rain drip through onto my face.

"What're you doing here?" Annabeth asked quietly, sitting down next to where I was lying and looking at me questioningly.

"I'm just . . . thinking," I said, absentmindedly twining my fingers around hers.

"Seaweedbrain, thinking? You must be sick," she said teasingly.

"Ha ha. Actually, I was thinking about when I first came here, when it all started. Things had been even weirder than normal, a hairy guy in tighey whiteys was chasing me and my mom and Grover, who turned out to have goat legs. Then the car blew up, my mom disappeared in golden light, Grover was unconscious and it was just me and the bull. I thought I would die, but I rammed him into Thalia's tree anyway."

"Must've hurt. Maybe that's why she doesn't like being nice to you."

"Oh yeah, never thought of that. I didn't even know what I was doing. And everything's changed so much since then. If the Minotaur came here right now, I'd be able to kill him without a second thought, and would probably laugh at how easy it is. I used to not have any idea how to use a sword, and any monster terrified me. Thing are so different now."

Annabeth looked at me carefully.

"Does that make you sad?"

"I don't know. I feel like too many bad things happened to be happy about it all. But I'm still alive, and we've saved the world from about everything it could throw at us. So I think it would be ungrateful to wish it had all never happened. But we've all changed so much. Sometimes I wonder if I'm still me."

"Of course you're still you. You're a very constant person."

"Oh really? And what about you?"

"I haven't changed either. I'm just too stubborn."

"No kidding."

"Besides," she said, ignoring that, "Its not that you've changed, there's just . . . more of you. You've grown up a bit. We all have."

"I'm just . . . tired. Really, really tired. It's been exhausting," I mutter, turning my face to rest it against Annabeth's thigh.

"Then go to sleep," she murmured, stroking my hair softly. It felt good.

"Here?"

"Don't worry, I'll keep watch."

"Mm 'kay"

I was almost asleep, but I wanted to say one more thing.

"Wisegirl?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for always having my back."

"Anytime, Seaweedbrain. Anytime"

* * *

><p><strong>I'm not exactly a supporter of Apollo and Rachel, because it's not very realistic, but this kind of meaningless teasing was very fun to write.<strong>

**I just _love _the Nico and Hazel brother sister realationship. They're so cute! And if Frank does die, (knock on wood!) at least Nico will be there and be able to understand what Hazel is going through. I'm not a Lazel fan.**

**I've always thought Hazel was more of a kid than the others, so that's the way I wrote it.**

**I don't want this story to be over either, but I just can't do more than one at a time. So click the little author update button and wait for my next story! It will be in mostly Leo and Percy's POV, and I hope you will find it interesting.**

**I am not going to read the first chapter of the Mark of Athena. ****Why? Because I don't feel like spending the next three months feeling sick with worry, that's why. I'm not that maschotistic. (I think that's how you spell it.)**

**Yes, it was the typical spider/shower drabble. Deal with it.**

**Always and Forever, REVIEW!**


	30. A Present From Percy

**Hello people of the neighboring planet! I have returned with sustenance, though I thought our last goodbyes were our final words. But, due to circumstances beyond my control (cough cough*House of Hades*cough cough) my oneshot writing gears have been turning unstoppably and I have a new round of wonderfulness, mostly starring, (drum roll, please) NICO! (Yay, whoop, whoop!)**

**(Clearly I am on a parenthesis high.)**

**So, Nico, not only is he my precious death biscuit, he is now, -SPOILER ALERT- my precious ****_gay_**** death biscuit. May I be the first to say, I totally saw ****_that_**** one coming!**

**So now I'm on a ****_Nico_**** writing high as well as a ****_parenthesis_**** high. And although this oneshot may be shorter than my AN, there are plenty longer ones on the way.**

**Okay, now here's the bad news, or maybe the-it is for the best-news. My other story, ****_Love and Other Catastrophes_****, will be taken down. Fret not, it will be right back up there as soon as I make some minor (major) adjustments.**

**I love Leyna, and I think it's a much better couple than Leo and Calypso, not just because their couple name would be Lypso, which sounds like lipo, as in liposuction. But I can't bear to write non-cannon things.**

**Now please enjoy this tiny little taste of what's coming.**

**(Gods, this one long ass AN.)**

**(Argh! Parenthesis ****_again_****!) **

**Am I a blonde, grey eyed daughter of Athena who can kick butt? No? Then I don't own Percy Jackson. Or Nico. But, so far, that position has been pretty open. **

**I should just stop while you're still reading.**

* * *

><p>Nico was sitting in a corner. It was nice, right angle corner, let's say, in a white room with a door near that corner. The rest of the room might be tastefully decorated, or it might be completely bare, but we're not looking at the room, we're concentrating on the corner where Nico is sitting.<p>

He is dressed in black jeans and a plain black tee shirt. His sword is attached to his belt, arranged carefully next to his so he can sit comfortably. His arms are wrapped around his knees. He is staring at the ground with an unfathomable expression, probably contemplating how exactly he got to be the single most unlucky demigod to exist in a hundred years.

And then Percy comes in.

Nico doesn't notice until he sees Percy's worn sneakers on the ground in front of him. He glances up at him, surprised, curious, and a little annoyed. (And something else in between his heart and stomach, but he chooses to ignore that.)

And then Percy drops a cat on him.

Neither Nico nor the cat reacts very much other than to stare at each other.

"What the-"

"His name is Small Bob," interrupts Percy. "You're taking care of him."

"I don't like cats."

"Too bad."

"Percy, I can't-"

"_Too bad_," repeated Percy, walking back out the door.

Nico looked back down at the kitten in his lap. It snuggled against his chest, covering it with cat hair.

"Oh, and I need you to walk Mrs. O'Leary!" Percy's voice called from the open doorway.

"I'm not your personal dead pet sitter!" Nico yelled back. He slumped back into the corner.

Small Bob crept up and gave his chin a lick with his rough little tongue. For a second, the kitten's fluffy fur flickered and disappeared, revealing its tiny skeleton.

Unconsciously, a tired smile tugged at the corner of Nico's mouth. He stroked the kitten's head and was rewarded with a low purr.

"Are you all alone too, little guy?" he murmured. "I met Big Bob before. He was nice."

Small Bob tucked himself into the crook of his neck. Nico scratched him under his chin and told him about Big Bob, and how Nico himself had come to be alone. In fact, he spoke to that kitten more than he ever did any living creature after Bianca died. And when his voice died away, neither he nor Small Bob felt quite so lonely.

* * *

><p><strong>Just because when I read the words <strong>**_skeleton kitten_****, I automatically thought of Nico.**


	31. I'm trying to sleep!

**In my imagination, Nico spends a lot of time napping in random places.**

* * *

><p>"How do you do it every year?" Jason asked Percy in desperation. He, Percy, Piper, Leo, Frank, Hazel, Nico, Grover, Reyna, Thalia, Rachel and all the CHB head counselors were scattered around the Big House's front room, with magazines, maps, lists and catalogues spread out on the floor. They were brainstorming ideas for a very important upcoming event. Something that, should they mess up, could very well get them killed in painfully creative ways.<p>

Annabeth's birthday.

Percy was going to answer, but Thalia interrupted.

"Oh please," she scoffed. She was lounging upside down on a couch, waving her feet in the air, flipping idly through a magazine. "Percy never plans _anything_. He can never remember when Annabeth's birthday is, so he just picks a random day of the year to cash in a favor from whatever god he's pissed off the least. _Voila_! Instant surprise party!"

"I remember one year he picked her actual birthday," Grover added. "Everyone got a shock, but Annabeth was so surprised she didn't yell at him for _a whole hour_."

Everyone laughed, except Leo, who nodded sagely as if it was a perfectly reasonably thing to do, and Nico, who was asleep next to Thalia on the couch.

Percy just shrugged.

"I don't see why we have to go to all this trouble for the stupid She Jackson anyway," grumbled Clarisse, picking at the worn carpet.

"C'mon guys," said Grover. "If we don't keep it a secret, Annabeth will know exactly what we're getting her."

"She's even harder to surprise than I am," Rachel admitted with a sigh.

"Maybe we could take her somewhere outside of camp," suggested Hazel, who was comfortably seated on Frank's lap. He smiled and kissed her on the top of her head.

"Oh yes," snickered Travis. "The perfect birthday: ice cream and cake, presents, a couple _empousai _crashers, and a Ferris Wheel."

"No party is complete with having to fight for your life and someone being ripped to shreds over who gets the last goodie bag," agreed Connor.

Katie hit them both over the head.

The door to the Big House opened with a bang and Piper swept in.

"Is everyone here?" she asked, counting.

"Clovis is visiting his mom," Katie said, moving over to make room for Piper between her and Jason. "And Lou Ellen and Miranda snuck out on a date, so Benjamin and I are filling in for them." She pointed out boy from the Hecate cabin. He grinned at her, showing off startlingly white teeth that contrasted with his dark skin and curly coal black hair.

Travis sneered at him.

"Oh well," said Piper. "Where's Annabeth?"

Katie shook her head.

"I think Malcolm and Mitchell are supposed to be running interference," Will told her. He grinned and waggled his eyebrows meaningfully.

"Well, I have an idea," said Piper, ignoring Will. "Percy and Reyna take Annabeth to Camp Jupiter for whatever reason and keep her there for a few days, until we say they can come back," she continued. Reyna looked up, suddenly brought into the conversation. "While their gone, we set up the party, decide what to get her, do everything we have to do. When they come back, that's when we surprise her. The whole camp has to be decorated. I want every cabin participating."

"Don't you think that's a little elaborate?" Reyna asked cautiously.

"This _is_ Annabeth," said Butch gravely.

Everyone looked solemn, except for Percy, who just laughed at them.

Suddenly, the door burst open again and Malcolm and Mitchell appeared. They were sweaty and tousle haired, like they'd been running or making out. Or both.

"Annabeth!" said Mitchell, panting. "She's . . . She's . . ."

"Coming!" burst out Malcolm. "She is coming right now!"

Immediately there was a flurry of movement. People leapt up, frantically looking for an exit sign, Reyna, Piper and Jason were trying to gather all the papers into a pile, and for a few seconds there was a chaos of moving bodies, shouting voices and flying weapon magazines.

"_Enough_!" cried Piper, her charm speak stopping everyone in their tracks. "I want you all to _calmly_ make your way to the rec room where we will continue this. _Not_ you, Percy," she added, grabbing the back of his shirt. Everyone else filed into the rec room, but she shoved him back towards the door.

"When Annabeth comes in, it is your job to distract her. And I mean, _distract _her," said Piper, looking at him meaningfully.

Percy just looked confused.

_Boys. All they think about is sex, and then right when you need them to . . ._

"Just, you know, make sure her attention is on you and nothing else. _Whatever means necessary_," she elaborated. That lit a spark in Percy's eye.

"Yes ma'am," he saluted her.

Piper left him waiting by the door and joined everyone else in the rec room. The papers were strewn across the Ping-Pong table, but no one was paying much attention to them anymore. Half the group had their ears pressed against the door, trying to listen to what was happening in the other room, and the other half was hissing at them to hurry up and tell them what was going on.

But eavesdropping was rendered quite unnecessary. Everyone in the rec room could hear exactly what was happening in the other room.

"_Percy? What are you doing here? I've been looking for you."_

"_Really? I didn't know. Why don't you tell me why, somewhere else? Like maybe, my cabin?"_

"_There was no particular reason. Everyone just disappeared suddenly, so I was getting worried."_

"_Well, everyone's fine, so why don't we just go back to my cabin?"_

"_Percy, do you know where everyone is?"_

"_What? Oh, uhh, nooooo . . ."_

"_Are they here?"_

"_Pssh. Of course not."_

"_Then why are you guarding the rec room?"_

"_Wha- I am not! I'm just . . . leaning against the wooden frame thingy."_

"_You mean the door jam?"_

"_Yeah, that."_

"_Move out of the way, Percy."_

"_Sorry, can't do that."_

"_Let me through! Percy!"_

"_Annabeth!"_

"_Just get out of the wa- Mmph!"_

There was bang on the rec room door, making everyone jump. The sounds coming from the other room had suddenly become much less wordy, and much more interesting.

"_Ahhh . . ."_

The rustle of clothing being removed was unusually loud through the thick wooden door.

Hazel was blushing furiously, Reyna and Clarisse looked faintly sick and Rachel was giggling madly. The Stoll twins had gotten out a tape recorder.

"Not again," murmured Frank. Grover patted his shoulder sympathetically.

"Oh you guys," sang Thalia, examining her nails with a bored expression. "I know you get off on listening to people having sex not ten feet away, but don't you think you're forgetting something?"

Rachel started laughing outright, but everyone else looked confused.

"Nobody?" sighed Thalia, shaking her head at their blank expressions. "Oh all right, I'll give you a hint.

"It's something that you left behind, that is about to get squashed when those two fall onto the only available cushioned surface."

Jason paled considerably.

"NICO!" everyone cried, and rushed as one to the door. But it was locked.

"Who locked the door!?" screamed Piper, right into Leo's ear.

"I don't know!" he yelled back.

"We're all dead!" moaned Jason.

Rachel was cackling like a kookaburra.

They were all silenced by a shrill squeal from the other room. This was followed by scuffling sounds, another yell and Percy's voice-

"What the-? Nico? Crap."

The door burst open- yes, again- and Nico stomped inside looking distinctly ruffled. Though not as much as Percy and Annabeth who followed him, pausing in the doorway. They were both shirtless and wearing identical expressions of annoyance and guilt. Nico was very determinedly _not_ looking at them, or more particularly at Percy. Instead, he focused his furious expression somewhere in between their heads.

There was a nasty silence where everyone avoided meeting anyone else's eyes.

Piper broke it with unusual tact.

"I told you to _distract_ Annabeth," she reproached Percy, "Not to have a threesome with Nico."

All three of them went an unhealthy shade of red. Nico in particular seemed in danger of either exploding or passing out.

"I . . . We didn't . . . Never in a million years . . ." The poor boy looked on the verge of a mental breakdown.

Completely unashamed of her state of undress, **(yes, she had on a bra,) **Annabeth huffed in annoyance.

"Of course we didn't," she snapped. "However, I would like to know exactly what Nico was doing on the couch where he was perfectly positioned to be involved in our sexual relations!"

Nico went from red to white alarmingly fast as soon as Annabeth put him together with the words _sexual relations_.

"_Me_!?" he squeaked, sounding like an unfortunate mouse that had been stabbed with a fork. "This isn't _my _fault! I was just trying to find _one_ place in this camp where I could take a nap _without_ naked girls falling on top of me! I was on that couch first! You're the one who needs to _stop having sex in my sleeping places_!"

"_Well you need to_ _stop sleeping in our sex places_!" Annabeth shouted.

"Clearly we need to each mark our sleep or sex places so we don't repeat this situation," mused Percy.

"_Shut up, Percy_!" Nico and Annabeth shouted at him. Annabeth whirled away, grabbing Percy on the way out and slamming the door behind them. Nico looked like he had just revisited Tartarus.

"Where are you going?" asked Hazel, as he stomped by.

"Somewhere I can buy super strength brain bleach and drown myself in it!" he snapped before diving into a shadow and disappearing.

There was stunned silence, broken only by Rachel's continued snickering.

Finally, Reyna shook her head in disgust.

"Stupid _graceus_."

* * *

><p><strong>Poor Nico. I still love torturing him. There is something very satisfying about it.<strong>


	32. Poor, titleless chapter :(

**I'm not really sure what happened to this one. It was going one way, then it got off on route 96, and then jumped off a bridge back onto the highway, then ran out of gas in Alabama. Gods know who was driving.**

* * *

><p>The first time it happened, was before Percy really knew why.<p>

It was when one of Paul's old colleagues' from the school he worked at before Goode, decided to visit New York, and asked Paul to put him up for his stay.

Coincidentally, Annabeth, the Grace's and Piper had been invited to dinner that very night, and even more coincidentally, which made you think some ironic misery loving god was at work, (or an ironic, misery loving fourteen year old girl sitting bored at her computer, with nothing but evil thoughts in her head,) Nico appeared suddenly in the kitchen as Sally was preparing the salad.

Nico had been planning a quick raid of the refrigerator and then leaving without anyone the wiser, but Percy caught him before he could escape and immediately bullied him into staying for dinner.

So, instead of a loving family, ready to welcome him graciously into their home, Hank Relec found one mortal, one mortal who could see through the mist and six powerful demigods, one of whom was contemplating his escape, regardless of how much trouble he would get into, waiting for him in the doorway.

From Hank's first sentence, Sally, Percy, Annabeth, Nico, Thalia, Jason and Piper immediately disliked him, and Paul remembered why he had been the most hated teacher in the school, especially by the students.

"Good lord, Paul, don't tell me you knew about all of these-"he gesture to the demigods- "when you married her! We teachers get enough of those brats at work, we don't need them at home too! We deserve a bit of quiet, a scotch, a foot rub- none of which we can get if our wife is playing babysitter, instead of working obediently on her husbands supper, or cleaning his house, or . . ." He went on like this as Sally took his coat, smiling through gritted teeth, and Paul bringing up his suitcases to the spare bedroom, mentally kicking himself.

Annabeth, Jason and Piper had pulled Percy, Thalia and Nico into Percy's room.

Percy and Thalia were both hissing death threats, but Nico was louder.

"I wanna go! I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go! Percy! Let me go!" he struggled against Piper's grip.

Percy stopped trying to release Annabeth's hold on his arm and came to stand in front of him. Nico stopped struggling and looked up at him apprehensively.

"No, no, no, no, Nico, you can't leave now!" Percy cried. "Please stay? Please?"

"I . . ." Nico looked torn.

"Too late to back out now, he's already seen you. If you just disappear now, it'll look suspicious," said Annabeth reasonably.

Nico seemed to think about it. Then a slow, positively evil smile crept over his face.

"I'll stay," he said, "on one condition. And you have to swear on the Styx that if you don't agree with it, I get to leave."

"And if I do, you have to stay?" said Percy, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

Nico nodded.

"Then I swear on the river Styx. Scout's honor," he promised. Traditional thunder rumbled in the distance. "Now what do you want?"

Nico still had that creepy smile on.

"I want _her_," he said, pointing at Annabeth, "to kiss me."

There was stunned silence.

"On the lips," added Nico. He crossed his arms with a supremely self satisfied smirk.

Percy looked as if he was going to either cry, or be sick. He looked at Nico's steady dark gaze, feeling vaguely like he had asked for his internal organs to sell on the black market.

Jason felt like introducing his head to the nearest wall.

Piper was admiring Nico's creative ingenuity.

"_Absolutely not!_" bellowed Thalia. She whirled to glare ferociously Percy. "Don't you dare! Don't you dare, Perseus Jackson!"

"No," choked Percy in a strangled voice. "No, I can't do that. Please, Nico."

"Well then." Nico turned to go.

"Wait!" commanded Annabeth. She had been unusually quite, watching Nico carefully. Now she grabbed his wrist, pulled him around and smashed her mouth to his.

Jason's eyes popped out of his head. Piper laughed and Thalia let out a hoarse yell of indignation.

Percy didn't react. He couldn't react. In fact, a curious numbness was spreading from his brain to his limbs.

Annabeth pulled away quickly, wiping her mouth. Nico didn't even blink. He appeared to be in the same condition as Percy. Annabeth grinned at his expression, which was not anywhere near pleasure, or even curiosity. It was more surprise, bordering on disgust.

_Knew it,_ Annabeth thought triumphantly. She left Nico standing there, his face contorted as if a harpy had just flown under his nose, and hauled Percy into the hallway, ignoring his random babbling.

"You . . . ah . . . you just . . . he . . . . arghh!"

"Yes, Percy," said Annabeth patiently.

Thalia snarled in Nico's general direction and flounced after them. Piper, still giggling, shook Nico out of his stupefied haze.

"Masterfully done," she snickered. "Right up until the whole plan backfired."

"Eeeeww," he moaned. "I hate this!"

"I hope you're happy with yourself," muttered Jason. "I don't think Percy's ridiculous desire to protect you, extends to _not _killing you for making out with his girlfriend."

"He wasn't supposed to _agree _to it! I just wanted to piss him off and get out of here!" Nico snapped at him. "And _she_ kissed_ me_! Gods, I think I'm going to be sick."

* * *

><p>Dinner was an uncomfortable affair.<p>

Annabeth had talked to both Percy and Thalia, and neither of them was upset anymore. Well, Percy wasn't upset after being reassured that the kiss was purely business- no tongue whatsoever and not enjoyable for either party. Annabeth had said something about Nico only choosing that because he was sure Percy would never have agreed. So now Percy was only confused.

Thalia, (Who _technically_ had no reason to be upset,) was content to stew in silence.

If Sally or Paul noticed the slightly _off_ vibe coming from the teenagers, they didn't comment. Indeed, they were far to busy trying to keep their guest from saying anything too terrible. It was hard to respectfully disagree with him when you couldn't get a word in edgewise. His voice was loud and obnoxious, his manners deplorable.

After five minutes of watching him spray food across the table with every offensive comment, most of the observers had lost their appetite. Nico hadn't had one to begin with, and Percy wasn't really listening. He was lost in thought, and kept missing his mouth with his fork.

"Some kids just don't know what's good for them. What they need is stricter discipline. A few good beatings can do wonders for troublemakers that disturb the poor educators." said Hank. He seemed to direct this mostly in Percy and Sally's direction, all the while digging in the blue meatloaf greedily. He had already gone through what was wrong with Sally's cooking earlier, along with a few more sexist remarks about how Paul should have better control of his wife.

_Do something about him,_ Sally frowned to her husband. She had the same look on her face as Percy did when he encountered a particularly foul monster.

_Just one night, then I'll get him a hotel,_ Paul begged silently.

You may be wondering why, (aside from Percy, who wasn't even listening- Defensive maneuver?) why the demigods, who all had a short temper, were sensitive to human judgment and had power coming out of their ears, weren't immediately jumping at this guys throat.

The simple reason was one word-Annabeth. Her steely gaze was enough to keep even Thalia in line. Each of them was using every technique they knew for keeping cool. Piper was quietly speaking to herself in charmspeak, gripping Jason's hand tightly. Her words reached her boyfriends ears, and he was finding it easy to concentrate more on her then a stupid mortal man. Thalia was happily imagining what her Lady Artemis would say and do if she could have been there. It involved wolves, various animal transformation and hunting knives.

Annabeth herself was swallowing her pride in effort to keep the peace. She knew that it would take less then a particularly hurtful comment to bring tempers to a boil, and a single sign that any of his friends were uncomfortable would send Percy into what Annabeth liked to call his ODOAM-SGDMS state (Overprotective and Defensive Outbursts against Mortals-and Sometimes Gods, Demigods, Monsters and Spirits.) It was the same kind of state she went into to make Hera swear vengeance, except hers had a P. (For Pride.)

She was more worried about Sally and Nico. Sally could be as defensive as Percy, and she was getting to the point where Paul's pleading would not stop her from kicking Hank out.

Nico was the second most powerful person in that room, and had the least control of that power. His powers were tied in very tightly with his moods, and while Percy and Thalia were doing a good job of keeping things from erupting, Annabeth thought Nico was struggling. Okay, strike that. She knew he was struggling. He looked like he was about to vomit.

Everything was fine, or at least under control, until dinner was over. Up to that point, most of Hank's jibes had been directed at Percy, who was remarkably indifferent to him.

If Percy were listening, he would have heard Hank's comments move towards more _unintentionally sensitive_ subjects, influenced, no doubt, by the after dinner glass of wine he had consumed. He would have seen Piper stiffen defensively, clenching Jason's hand so hard her knuckles turned white. He would have seen Thalia grinding her teeth as if imagining sinking them into Hank Relec's ample flesh, her lips pulled back in a snarl. He would have seen Jason sink slowly in his seat, his eyes flicking from person in fear.

But Percy didn't see any of that.

However, he couldn't help but _feel_ Annabeth's nail's digging sharply into his thigh. Percy hissed, more in shock than in pain, and looked around at her, annoyed. She glared at him, and then glanced pointedly at the person at the end of the table. And this time Percy did look in time. He saw Nico, head bowed, fists clenching the material of his clothes, angry tears threatening to spill over, his powers kept in check only by his effort to not blow up Percy's house and ultimately disappoint him.

Now, Percy did not make the obvious jump from point **A** to point **B** and draw a conclusion. He didn't put together that, someone (Hank) is talking + my cousin is crying = what is being said must apply to and affect my cousin. Because Percy's mind doesn't work like that. No, no, no, no. Instead he went from point **A** to point **B** and somehow got a hundred. Someone is talking + my cousin it crying = destroy the person who made him cry and ignore whatever the person might have been saying.

Percy leapt to his feet, rounded the table and grabbed Hank by his overly starched shirt collar.

"It's time for you to go," he growled. He ignored Hank's splutters and shoved him bodily out the door. Jason, Thalia, Piper and Annabeth followed, gleefully throwing his luggage at his walrus-like form sprawled on the sidewalk. Percy took great pleasure in slamming the door when they were done.

"I'm sorry," he apologized to Paul, but his stepfather just shook his head and laughed.

"It's fine, Percy," he said. "He really deserved it. I shouldn't have agreed to let him in here."

"Yeah!" said Thalia, grinning wildly. "Win for Team Demigods!"

"You sound like Leo," said Jason drily.

"Never say that," said Thalia seriously. "Never compare me to that high chipmunk-like Latino Santa's elf, Jason Grace."

Jason held up his hands in mock surrender, while Piper laughed.

"Come on everyone," said Sally happily. "I have blue cookies in the kitchen."

Everybody left to convene in the kitchen for cookies and hot chocolate, even though it was like fifty degrees. Everybody, that is, but Nico, who plucked at Percy's sleeve to hold him back in the entryway.

"Can I go now, Percy?" he whispered, looking up at him beseechingly. "Please?"

"Yeah, Nico," Percy sighed, resting his hand on his cousin's dark head for just a second. "You can go."

Nico was halfway out the door when Percy caught his wrist.

"Wait, Nico." Percy looked at him steadily. "If anyone ever . . . I anyone makes you sad, you tell me, all right?"

_Oh, the fucking irony._

Nico ducked his head and mumbled something indistinct. Percy held on tightly. "All right? Nico? You promise?"

"Fine," Nico rasped. He looked anywhere but at Percy. "I-I promise."

"All right then," said Percy, but he didn't let go. "Nico? What are you looking at?" Percy turned to see.

"It's nothing," mumbled Nico, but Percy was smiling. He let go of Nico's wrist and picked up his old skateboard from where it had been hiding in the coat closet.

"You like this?" he asked.

Nico shrugged noncommittally, looking at it sideways.

Percy handed to him. "You can have it."

"No, Percy, I-" Nico started.

"Tap tap, no take backs!" declared Percy, pushing him out the door. He shut the door behind him. Nico could hear him laughing.

_Bastard,_ he thought grumpily. He put his headphones on and pressed play on his iPod. Imagine Dragons started up.

Nico looked at the skateboard in his hands and then set it down. He looked around cautiously, but no one was looking. Hesitantly, he stepped up and pushed off. It was nice, moving fast and smooth along the sidewalk, the air whipping past his face and music in his ears.

Nico almost smiled.

* * *

><p><strong>Soooooo . . . . yeah. Sorry for taking so long. I had Art History at a Waldorf school, which basically meant recreating several ancient masterpieces every night in pencil. <span>Very<span> time consuming.**


	33. Coming out

**At the end of this, you will no doubt be wondering who Smim is. He will be appearing in some of the coming chapters, but if you want the whole story, check out my new story which will be coming soon.**

**I had this idea because so few of the stories I've read actually have Nico coming out. Of course, he's just being ridiculous, because there isn't a single person who would hate him, because they're all freaking _Greek!_**

**I was also asked for a tratie chapter, which I am working on.**

**This authors note is strangely boring. Phooey.**

* * *

><p>"Dad, I'm gay."<p>

Hades glanced up at his son and then returned to his papers.

"Yes, I know."

Nico gaped at him.

"_What do you mean you know!?_"

"Do not shout indoors!" snapped Hades. "I'm a _god_. You're my _son_. I knew as soon as you were born."

"But- but you never . . . why didn't you say something?"

"Nico, I do not have time to have an in depth conversation about your love life," said Hades, exasperated. "Now look over these files and see which spirits need to be tried and which can go straight to the fields of punishment." He shoved an armload of files into his son's arms.

Nico promptly dropped them on his dad's foot and stormed away, muttering about _wasted worrying_ and _under reactions_.

* * *

><p>"Hazel I'm gay."<p>

Hazel looked at him.

"No you're not."

Nico blinked.

"Yes, I am. Most definitely."

"You are most definitely not."

"Hazel," Nico blew out a breath. "I _am_."

"Nico," said Hazel with utter certainty, "Anyone who looks at you can plainly see that you are anything but gay. It shows all over your face."

Nico did not know what to say to this.

"Hazel," said Frank who had been watching with amusement, "What do you think gay means?"

Hazel frowned. "It means happy, doesn't it?"

Nico face palmed.

* * *

><p>"Percy, I'm gay."<p>

Percy tore his eyes away from Psych long enough to look at him curiously.

"Okay."

"Okay?" said Nico disbelievingly. "What do mean, _okay_!?"

"Don't shout," said Percy disapprovingly. "Yes, okay. What else do you want me to say?"

Nico wisely chose not to respond to that.

"So, you don't mind?" he asked timidly.

"Of course not," said Percy, his brow furrowing. "I mean, Malcolm, Mitchell, Lou Ellen and Miranda are all gay, and they're awesome, right Annabeth?" Annabeth nodded without taking her eyes off of Shawn, who was channeling that little boy cat, who was channeling the dead actress, who was doing the musical number, I Dazzle And I Stretch. "See? We don't care."

Nico glared at him. Such reactions were most unsatisfactory.

"I know a guy you might like," continued Percy thoughtfully. "Maybe I can set you up."

Nico dumped the popcorn bowl over his head.

* * *

><p>"For years, I spend most of my time worrying what people would think . . . but these are the most disappointing reactions I could have imagined!" Nico ranted to Smim. He flomped dispiritedly onto the ground.<p>

"My life is so empty now," he said sadly.

Smim just shook his head. "Oh, Nico," he sighed.

* * *

><p><strong>Come on. You know you want to know.<strong>


	34. Oops, I fell in love

**This Tratie was asked for by a guest. I don't know your name, but I hope you like it!**

* * *

><p>"Connor!" shrieked Travis, bursting into their cabin. It was unusually empty except for his brother.<p>

"Connor!" he yelled again, this time right in Connor's ear.

"What!?" Connor yelled back.

"It-It's _terrible_!" cried Travis. He was practically in tears. "I . . . I think I'm in love with Katie!"

"Uh, okay?" said Connor stupidly.

"No!" wailed his brother, "_Not_ okay! Connor, I'm in love with enemy!" Travis slumped on the bed. "My life is over," he moaned into the pillow.

Connor rolled his eyes. "Katie isn't the enemy, Travis. I mean, the whole reason we annoy her all the time is because you have a crush on her, right?"

Travis gaped at him. "It is?"

"Well, yeah. Isn't it?"

"Well I wish someone had told me that!" snapped Travis. "Really, Connor, for this relationship to work, we have to communicate!"

"You're right," agreed his brother. "Maybe we should see a marriage counselor."

"Yeah. I don't want to give up on Us yet."

"Divorce would be so hard on the kids."

Travis gave a little laugh through his tears.

"What am I going to do?" he whispered hoarsely.

"Aww, wittle baby Twavis is in wove!" cooed Connor. "Leave it to me, my brother. I have a plan." And he grinned wolfishly.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Katie!"<p>

Katie gasped and spun around.

"Connor! What are you doing here?" she hissed.

"Well, do you mean 'here' as in earth? Because scientist aren't really sure yet."

"I mean 'here' as in my cabin!" said Katie, glaring at him ferociously.

"Ah, that . . ." Connor nodded in understandingly.

" . . . ."

" . . . . ."

" . . . . . ."

" . . . . . . ."

"Well?" Katie prompted.

"Well what?"

"_What are you doing in my cabin_?" she asked through gritted teeth.

"Oh, well, you see . . ." Connor rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "My brother's, uh, he's about to do something - nothing bad, I promise!" he added, noticing Katie's expression. "But I'd really like it if would just hear him out, okay?"

"Okay . . ." said Katie, crossing her arms suspiciously.

"So, just, come out here," Connor gestured for her to step outside.

Katie raised an eyebrow.

"Please?" he begged. Katie conceded with dignity and went outside.

In the center of all the cabins stood Travis, in his ratty camp shirt and jeans, on a large, raised marble dais. As Katie came out, the Apollo cabin picked up their instruments and started to play.

"Would you like to dance?" Travis asked nervously, holding out his hand.

"Sure," said Katie, startled.

Travis led her up onto the dais. There was some awkward fumbling while they tried to figure out where their hands went, until Connor had to come up and help. Then he stepped back and attempted to blend in with the shadows.

"So, is this a prank?" asked Katie as they spun in a slow circle. Neither of them could dance.

"Nope," said Travis, shaking his head. "Not a prank."

"Really? No egg whites in my hair or crabs down my shirt?"

"Nah, we can do that tomorrow," said Travis easily.

"So . . . What's all _this_ for?" asked Katie curiously, and Travis flushed.

"Oh, ah, well, you see, the thing is, um, it's a funny story . . ."

Katie watched as he stammered. She saw Connor in the corner with his fingers crossed. She saw the blush on Travis's cheeks and how he wouldn't meet her eyes.

"Travis?"

"Yeah?" he asked nervously.

"Shut up." And then she leaned forward and kissed him.

Connor whooped.

Katie pulled back, her face almost as red as Travis's.

"Oh . . ." he seemed to have run out of words.

"Yeah," whispered Katie.

They just kind of stared at each other goofily, until Connor got sick of it.

_Splash!_

"Connor!" shrieked Travis as Katie spluttered. They were both soaked and shivering. Connor was cackling with an empty bucket in his hand.

"Get him!" cried Katie. She and Travis chased him all over the camp until they cornered him on a pier.

"You can go in the easy way or the hard way, brother," said Travis, cracking his knuckles.

Connor looked at his bother, then at the lake, back at his brother, and then he turned around, pinched his nose and dove into the water.

Katie barely had time to feel smug before Travis grabbed her hand and jumped off the pier too, pulling her with him.

She rose to the surface, gasping for air and wiping the water from her eyes. Connor laughed at her, floating lazily on his back. Travis yanked her ankle underwater. Katie yelped and dunked him. This led to a splash fight of epic proportions.

But Katie didn't mind. It was the most fun she'd had in a long time.

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><p><strong>Aww. Review please!<strong>


	35. I should have used the real Lethe

**What I should be doing: homework, short story for the literary magazine, or writing.**

**What I am doing: this, reading fanfics and watching the west wing. **

**You lucky bastards. **

* * *

><p>A trickle of milky white water dripped from the branch into a bowl. Around him, the Cabin Fifteen, children of Hypnos, slept soundly. They wouldn't wake up for World War III. He reached out a trembling hand. Just one drop would erase everything. All the emotions swirling around his head, killing him from the inside, it would all be gone.<p>

A hand caught his arm.

"Don't you dare," Percy snarled. Nico looked up at him in shock.

"Let go," he hissed.

"No," said Percy. He dragged Nico out of Cabin Fifteen.

"Percy! Please! Just let me go, let me forget!" Nico struggled against his grip, but he was weak from malnutrition and Percy was much bigger.

"Nico, if I thought it would help, don't you think I would have done it already myself?" asked Percy. "It won't help, not the way you think it will. Just because the memories are gone, doesn't mean the thoughts and feelings that are making you sick will too. You'll just feel worse not knowing why. Remember Bob? He started to remember after a while, and you're starting to remember your mom. Unless the water touches your bare soul, the memories will come back."

Nico sank to the ground. He wished he was dead.

"I can't stand it," he whispered. "Bianca, the Labyrinth, Tartarus, being suffocated in that damn jar, _everything_, I can't stop thinking about it. I can't sleep, I can't eat, I can't stand _being alive_. I feel like I'm going crazy. You were there, you know."

"No, Nico, I don't know. I have no idea." Percy crouched beside him, putting one of Nico's arms over his shoulders, half pulling, half supporting him until they were standing. "You were all alone in those places. I was always there with Annabeth. I barely made it out with her, I would have died alone. It was so much worse for you, and it's a miracle you're still here. Of course you feel like you're going crazy."

Nico felt like crying.

"C'mon." Percy dragged him to Cabin Three and pushed the door open.

Annabeth was curled up in one of the lower bunks, but when they came in she opened her eyes. She didn't say anything, just pulled the covers back expectantly.

Nico looked at Percy in confusion. Annabeth rolled her eyes and pulled him onto the bed next to her. Percy climbed in next, pulled the covers up and reached across Nico to link hands with Annabeth.

At first it was all kinds of awkward for Nico, but it was warm, and the sound of their heartbeats was soothing. The feeling of love and security was almost tangible in between them, even asleep, and being in the middle of it felt like being filled with warm water from both sides.

Soon he was drifting off.

* * *

><p>Nico couldn't breathe.<p>

It was dark, and he could feel the walls closing in around him, crushing him. He struggled to get air in his lungs, but there was nothing in between his body and the walls surrounding him, and was unable to tell if his eyes were open or closed. It didn't seem to make a difference. He tried to call for help, to push back, but he couldn't move, couldn't make a sound. His head felt light and fuzzy, his muscles weak.

_Help. Help . . . . Someone . . . Percy, help me. I'm dying._

_I'm dying._

_Please, let me die._

* * *

><p>Nico gasped awake, shaking, clutching at his chest. Rasping sobs racked his body as tried to breath.<p>

Two pairs of warm hands rubbed his back and stroked his hair, wiping the tears from his cheeks. Soft voices murmured comfortingly.

Nico lay back, calming down at the attention. Arms wrapped around him tightly, holding him close. Nico relaxed into their embrace.

He wasn't alone. He could breathe.

* * *

><p><strong>Please Review.<strong>


	36. She Keeps Me Warm

**This is one of my favorite non canon, could be canon if Uncle Rick got off his ass and did something about it, pairings. It's right up there with MalcolmxMitchel and Tratie. Louanda forever!**

**Go check out the other (two) Lou EllenxMiranda stories. So cute! And then write you own. And MalcolmxMitchel. They need more love!**

**So sorry for not updating! I was working on some Pandora Hearts stuff, (still need to finish that) but I have a funny little percabeth coming up, so stay tuned.**

**Warnings: femslash. girlxgirl pairing. Don't like, don't read.**

* * *

><p>"Lou! Give it back!"<p>

"You have to catch me first!" Lou Ellen giggled, sprinting away from the Dining Pavilion with Miranda's nose clutched tightly in her hand.

"LOU!" Miranda's normally low, alto voice was choked and nasally without her round, brown nose. She chased after her friend, one hand clutching her face.

Lou Ellen was faster, so she stopped near the edge of and hid behind one of the trees to wait for Miranda catch up. Grinning evilly she closed her hand tightly around the nose, and when she opened her hand again, it had vanished.

Breathing heavily, she peered around the tree trunk, expecting to see Miranda looking around for her, wondering where she'd gone with that adorable pissed off expression. But she wasn't there.

"Wha-"

"Gotchya!" Lou Ellen felt two arms wrap around her from behind and lift her into the air. She shrieked with laughter as Miranda hoisted her onto her shoulder and proceeded to drag her back to the cabins.

Halfway there Lou Ellen reached down and pinched Miranda's ass, just to ruffle her feathers. Miranda gave an undignified yelp and dropped Lou Ellen onto the grass. Then she was off again, making a dash for the stables. Miranda ran after her, cursing.

It had been like that from the beginning.

Lou Ellen and Miranda were both tall. They were both demigods. They were both horrible a sword fighting. And they both liked walking around barefoot. But that was where their similarities ended.

Miranda was brown, from her sun kissed skin to her hair. Even her eyes had only the slightest hazel green tint. She was tall and sturdy, curvy but conservative. As head counselor for the Demeter Cabin, she was used to telling her siblings what to do, organizing gardening projects and digging in the dirt. She worked closely with the Cloven Council and was involved in lots of mortal Save the Earth movements. She had a mean right hook, and her dad was the C.E.O. of a cereal manufacturing company.

Lou Ellen was not. She was left handed, and spent her days exercising her considerable capacity for magic on unfortunate passersby. She was tall too, but thin and pale, with some Asian background. She liked to pair her traditional orange camp T-shirt with stretchy yoga pants, and wore colorful scarves around her head, letting her multiple dark braids threaded through with beads and bits of things she found lying around spill out the back, and had henna tats running all over her body.

They had been friends since Lou Ellen had first come to Camp Halfblood, and Chiron had asked Miranda to show her around. Miranda had endured a whole day of blushing while Lou Ellen stood there and flirted so hard Miranda thought she might die of embarrassment. The next several days were much of the same, but Miranda had never taken Lou Ellen's interest seriously, until one day she found herself pressed against her cabin door after saying goodnight, with Lou Ellen's mouth covering her own.

When Lou Ellen had finally released her, she'd just winked and then dashed away, waving wildly and calling out that she would see Miranda the next day.

Miranda had stood there like an idiot until Katie had come outside to ask her what was wrong. That night she had had a long discussion with her half sister, and the next day she met Lou Ellen at their usual meeting place by the fountain.

She hadn't said anything at first, so Lou Ellen had started to speak. Before she had gotten the words out, Miranda had leaned forward and pressed her mouth softly to hers. Miranda had kept her eyes open, and she had seen Lou Ellen's dark eyes shift from black to blue to purple before her eyelids fluttered shut and she had sighed softly into Miranda's mouth.

Even now they chased each other.

They were almost at the stables when Lou Ellen suddenly whirled around, grabbing Miranda's wrists and catching her off guard. Miranda would have stumbled, but then they were spinning around and around until they finally twirled themselves right into the stable's outside wall.

They ended up sprawled on the ground in a tangle of limbs, and Lou Ellen was laughing so hard Miranda could feel it vibrating down her back.

Grumbling, Miranda pushed her girlfriend off and stood up, swaying from the residue dizziness. Lou Ellen did the same, and they stumbled into each other. Miranda reached out and grasped Lou's shoulder. Lou Ellen was still giggling, and it made holding onto her shoulder somewhat difficult.

They were suddenly very close. Lou Ellen grinned and leaned forward to nuzzle Miranda's mouth. Miranda pulled back after a second and clapped her hands to her nose, which had miraculously reappeared.

"Lou!"

"Sorry," Lou Ellen giggled. "You just look so cute!"

She wrapped her skinny arms around a darkly muttering Miranda and hummed tunelessly against her neck. Miranda hugged her back, melting under Lou Ellen's soft touch.

"You are in an unusually good mood," she told her.

"Mmmm," Lou Ellen hummed. "Your aura is making me giddy."

"Stop, I'm blushing," said Miranda dryly. _Hecate daughter charm._

Lou Ellen ran her mouth up and down Miranda's neck. Miranda shivered, and then shrieked when she felt something sharp on her earlobe. She pulled back to see Lou Ellen giggling with Miranda's ear dangling from her teeth.

"LOU!"

Lou Ellen waggled her eyebrows.

"Come and get me!"

* * *

><p><strong>Cute, no? This site needs more femslash. <em>Reasonable<em> femslash. The 'Troll' needs to work on that.  
><strong>

**Less than a month until BoO comes out! Gaaahhhhh, I CAN'T WAIT!**


	37. Morning After (Alsoknownas Cookies Pt 2)

**I want percabeth to have sex.**

**There. I said it.**

**Okay, I don't own any of this stuff. But I have to wonder if maybe authors _do_ go on here and post little bits of their stories that they never got to put in the books. I'd definitely do that.**

* * *

><p>"Guys?" Frank, Hazel and Piper knocked on Annabeth's door. Across the hall, Jason and Leo opened Percy's unlocked door and peered inside.<p>

"They aren't in here," Jason confirmed.

"C'mon you two," Piper pounded on the door. "We know you're in there. Just because Coach Hedge isn't here doesn't mean you can disappear together whenever you feel like it. Or have you forgotten we have a war to prevent?"

"Step aside, Beauty Queen." Leo cracked his knuckles, wiggled his finger and then rubbed his hands together to warm them up.

"Any day now, Repair Boy," said Piper wryly.

Leo grinned and pulled a few wires from his tool belt. Everyone hung back and watched as he twisted the wires into a convoluted shape, inserted them into the lock and wiggled them around a bit.

There was a series of clicks and Leo sat back on his heels with a smug expression.

"Who heard the double click?"

"I heard the double click," Frank volunteered.

Piper opened the door and clicked on the light.

At first the room looked empty, aside from the maps and books strewn across the floor. Then there was a rustle of sheets and a curly blonde head poked out from an oddly shaped lump of blue blankets tangled on the bed.

Annabeth blinked at them sleepily.

"What?"

"Uh, sorry!" Hazel squeaked, while the rest of them stared as the normally refined and put together Annabeth Chase ran a hand through her bed-head, yawning widely. "We were just wondering where you and Percy were, so . . ."

She trailed off as another head rose from the mound of blankets, this time with dark hair.

"Someone say my name . . .?" mumbled Percy. He looked around blearily.

" **. . . **"

"Shit," Percy whispered.

"Ohmygod," Leo groaned, and dug the heels of his hands into his eyes. Frank clapped a hand over Hazel's eyes, who looked too scandalized to move. Piper had a maniacal grin stretching across her face and Jason just looked away awkwardly.

"Pleaseplease_please_ tell me you guys have clothes on under there," Leo moaned into his hands.

"Clothes . . ." Percy looked confused, as if the question was just too difficult to comprehend. "Umm . . . Hold on, let me check."

He yanked the sheet up like a wall between the prying eyes and him and Annabeth and stared at what lay underneath.

And stared.

And stared.

And stared some more.

"Maybe I should . . . just to make sure . . ." Percy reached down with one hand and felt around.

Annabeth yelped and her leg shot out and kicked Percy in the chest. The group at the door got an unfortunate view of Percy's pale, bare butt as he fell ass over teakettle onto the floor.

There was a horrified silence, and then a pained groan from the other side of the bed.

Annabeth blew a curl away from her face with an irritated huff, her face a light pink.

"Pay no attention to the idiot behind the bed."

"Right." Frank was the exact color of an heirloom tomato, but he still had enough sense _not_ to ask.

"Maybe we should go," muttered Jason.

"Yep/Let's go."

"This is _so_ going on Facebook," Piper snickered, clicking away at her phone, which seemed to have magically appeared in her hand.

Frank dragged everyone away, slamming the door behind them. Leo was wailing about needing brain surgery.

Behind her, Annabeth felt Percy crawl back into bed. He was laughing, and when he pressed her face to her shoulder, she felt it vibrate all the way down her spine.

"So scary," he teased.

"Shut up. We have to get out of bed now. You know, wars to be won, worlds to be saved, giant dirt faced ladies to put the smack down on."

"Don't wanna," Percy whined, nuzzling her back.

Annabeth sighed.

"You're such a pervert."

"Hey, I'm sixteen. Seventeen. Sixteen? How old am I right now?"

"Five."

"Five year olds don't have sex."

"Five year olds like cookies. Which would you rather have?"

Percy gasped, horrified. "You're making me choose!?"

Annabeth sat up and let the sheet fall away from her body.

"Yes, Perseus. You can either have sex with me, right now, before our friends come back, or the blue chocolate cookies I brought from your mom that are in the kitchen. Your choice."

Percy's brows furrowed.

" . . ."

" . . ."

" . . ."

"Percy."

"Shut up! I'm trying to think!"

* * *

><p><strong>Ahh, Percy. This could definitely be seen as a companion to my other cookie story. Which, in fact, is probably my most reviewed chapter. Just so you know. Hint hint. <strong>

**Hint hint hint.**

**Hinthinthinthinthinthinthinthinthinthinthinthinthinthinthinthint.**

**HINT.**


	38. Tomorrow

**This is probably the crappiest thing I've written, and yet somehow it's my favorite. BOO IS COMING OUT TOMORROW!**

**AESDHMFGKJ,MHDFSNCVBSDFMJSRDHFHJHKJMDSRJDFGHLIRDTHGFVMCXNFGJ,DGTSHRDTHFKGJHKU;HKJ,VCMXSJDNGFHVBMHKL,VNMCXHDTJFHGMMHLJ,B**

**So, yeah.**

**Oh, and Uncle Rick released the title for his new series, Magnus _Chase_ and the Gods of Asgard or something like that. That last name can _not_ be a coincidence!**

***Sigh* I can't believe it's really coming to an end. I mean its Persassius fucking Jackson, so it will never really end, but . . . we've been waiting for this day before we knew it existed, and now it's really here. Greek GODS I can't. I just can't!  
><strong>

**This stupid thing won't let me put more than one exclamation point! Stupid.**

**Am I a blonde, grey eyed daughter of Athena who can kick butt? No? Then I don't own Percy Jackson.**

**To those of you who live where the release date is earlier, I salute you. To those of you who live where the release date is later, I pity you. To those of you who live in Chicago, race you to the finish line.**

* * *

><p><em>(To the tune of the <em>_Annie__ song - Tomorrow.)_

"THEEEEEEEEE  
>Book will come out,<br>tomorrow!  
>Bet your bottom drachma that tomorrow<br>There'll be blood (of Olympus)!"

Annabeth looked up from her blueprints and stared as Percy skipped into her room, singing at the top of his voice.

"Just thinking about  
>Tomorrow<br>Clears away Arachne's cobwebs and Nico's sorrow  
>Till there's none!"<p>

"Percy," said Annabeth slowly. "I know I am going regret asking this, but . . . what are you doing?"

"I'm singing!" exclaimed Percy.

"When Zeus give me a day that's grey and lonely  
>I just stick out my chin and grin and<br>SAAAAAAAAAY-"

"Yes, _I realize that,_" Annabeth said through gritted teeth. "But _why_, Percy?"

"Because! Tomorrow the Blood of Olympus is coming out!" Percy grinned so hard it looked like his face might break.

Annabeth just looked at him. "So?"

"SO!? So tomorrow we defeat Gaea and find out what the prophecy really means! We all get our happily ever after, Leo rescues Calypso, Nico gets adopted by Snowbaz and finds someone to love, the Greeks and the Romans become friends, we build a Greek city, you and I get pizza and Chinese food, we go see my mom and Paul and Thalia and Grover and Rachel and Clarisse and all our friends from Camp Half-Blood, and Octavian gets hunted down by the mutilated bodies of all his teddy bears! I'll smack some sense into the Gods by being disrespectful and impertinent, talk some sass and eat blue chocolate chip cookies! It is going to be an epic battle of awesomeness, sunshine, rainbows and happiness!"

"Or everyone will die, all the paring will be broken up, the whole fandom will go to hell, go mad from grief and Rick Riorden's body will be found at the bottom of Tartarus."

Percy's face sagged in horror. "WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT!?"

Annabeth shrugged. "Just trying to keep you from jinxing us."

"Well!" Percy fumed. He turned pointedly away from Annabeth and glared broodingly out the door, pouting.

Piper happened to walk by in the hallway.

Percy pounced on her, dragging her into the room and spinning her around. "Sing with me, Piper! We can't let all the horrible, heart wrenching things that are bound to happen, get us down!"

"Cool," Piper grinned. "I can dig it."

"OOOOOOOOOOH  
>BLOOD OF OLYMPUS COMES OUT TOMORROW<br>PERCABETH, HANG ON UNTIL TOMORROW  
>COME WHAT MAAAAAAAAAAAAY!" Percy and Piper sang, dancing around Annabeth as she frowned disapprovingly. Percy grabbed her hands and pulled her up, whirling her around and around.<p>

"TOOOOOOMORROW!  
>TOMORROW!<br>I LOVE PERCY!"

"Those are _not_ the lyrics, Perseus Jackson!" Percy laughed, and accidentally spun them both into a wall. They tumbled to the floor in a pile of indignant limbs. Piper giggled and slipped away, choosing to give them some privacy. She resumed her journey to the deck of the ship, where everyone was waiting.

_"Tomorrow,_  
><em>is only a daaaayy, <em>

_Aaaaaaawwaaaaaayyyyy."_

* * *

><p><strong>GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!<strong>

**THERE ARE NOT WORD TO EXPRESS WHAT I AM FEELING RIGHT NOW! And you can forget about school. F*** that s***, I'm going to be spending the day fangirling and convincing my teachers to not give me any homework.**

**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**

**See you on the other side, suckers.**


	39. Cards

**I know! But I really wanted to give you guys a present on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and I didn't have time to write anything new! This is a little outtake from Three Times, the next chapter of which will be your present tomorrow. As long as you don't mind waiting an absurdly long time for the next one.**

* * *

><p>"I keep forgetting you spent the last seventy years in a casino," Percy muttered.<p>

"Shut up, Jackson. Call, raise or fold." Nico took a sip of unicorn draught. "Bianca never actually let me play, but I liked to watch. It's a very useful skill to know when someone's lying to you." He glared at Percy pointedly. Percy groaned and sunk down into his seat.

"Shut up, di Angelo."

"I quite agree with that statement," Annabeth said. "Percy calls. I will raise you . . ." She considered. "One jar of tropical coconut scent Medea's Sunscreen SPF 50."

"I fold," Frank muttered.

"I call," Piper grinned.

Reyna looked over at her suspiciously. "I hope for your sake you aren't doing anything unethical in order to avoid losing your 'magical no-smear makeup' kit."

Piper batted her eyes innocently. "Would I do that?"

"Yes," everybody chorused.

"True." Piper smirked. "The makeup is Drew's. I merely . . . acquired it."

Everybody laughed except for Will, who was lounging in one of the empty beds, scowling at the ceiling as he twirled a surgical scalpel between his long fingers.

"What's up with him?" Jason asked with a nod towards Will.

"He's just sulking because I kicked his ass at Mythomagic earlier." Nico greedily eyed the pair of life sized, solid imperial gold skulls Reyna had put down earlier. He was thinking of sticking them on his door and enchanting them to talk and keep out the riffraff.

It had all started with the Mythomagic. Hazel had brought Frank when she came to visit Nico in the infirmary, and Frank had brought a pack of cards.

It had all gone downhill from there.

Hazel ended up getting very into the game, and Frank soon found himself in the middle of a passionate discussion about whether or not Hestia counted as a major god, and therefore deserved the 300 power-up points when put together with her sacred animal. Frank, desperate to not have world war three start over a Mythomagic game, pounced on Will while he took a water break and forced him to join.

When Jason and Piper came to see how Nico was doing, Will was curled into a dejected ball in the corner and Nico was gleefully collecting his cards.

Then Percy and Annabeth came, and Annabeth had smoked them all.

"This is stupid," Percy had muttered grumpily. "The only people who know how to play Mythomagic are Nico, Frank and apparently Annabeth. We should play something we all know."

Piper grinned a little evilly and pulled a pack of regular looking cards seemingly out of thin air. "You guys ever played poker?"

And that is how Reyna found them after a long day of camp negotiations; (which she had handled All. By. Herself.) crowded around Nico's bed and arguing whether a smoothie that turned you into a guinea pig was worth the same as a fiery bronze dodge ball.

She was immediately dealt in.

Now, Reyna was observing everyone over her cards. (She had an excellent hand; three of a kind, and tens at that.)

Percy was trying to be sneaky and look at Annabeth's cards. She smacked him in the nose. Frank and Hazel were already out of the game. Hazel sat on the bed next to Nico and Frank held her hand sweetly as they spoke in quiet voices. On the end of the bed Piper sat cross legged while Jason had drawn up a chair. Piper smiled down at him sweetly and leaned forward to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose. A few choppy braids slipped off her shoulder and tickled Jason's face. Reyna raised an eyebrow when she saw Piper take a peek at his cards while he was distracted.

And Nico . . .

"I raise one Stygian ice whistle," Nico announced. There was a chorus of groans.

Reyna sighed. Nico was fine. Faded in the afternoon light, but mostly relaxed in the company of his friends.

And speaking of friends . . .

"Who is that?" she asked Nico quietly.

"Hm?" Nico glanced at the boy in the corner and then looked away quickly. "Oh, that's just Will. He's head counselor for the Apollo cabin, and he's the senior healer here."

"Oh really? And I suppose his healing duties include lying around like a sack of potatoes? You, boy-" she snapped her fingers imperiously. "Come here. Yes, you, idiot," she added in exasperation when the boy – _Will_ – looked around and pointed at himself in confusion as if to say, _Who, me?_

Will slouched over to them, his hands fiddling nervously with a small surgical knife. Reyna looked him over critically.

"Bad posture. Clearly not a fighter. Reprehensible fashion choices. You're a son of Apollo, correct?"

"Uh, yes?" The poor boy looked completely bemused as to why he was being picked apart by a praetor of Rome. Reyna clucked her tongue disapprovingly. "That's not much of a recommendation at the moment, I'm afraid."

"He saved my life," Nico said mildly. "I call."

"What's wrong with my clothes?" Will asked, looking down at his mint green nurse's outfit and hiking boots. A red silk scarf was wrapped around his head like a bandage.

"Indeed?" Reyna frowned. "I suppose he has good lines. Someone who is a healer most likely received the better aspects of Apollo's nature. Tell me, boy, how are you financially? Are you capable of supporting a family? What are your views on mortal politics?"

"Reyna, please stop bullying my doctor," Nico said in a bored voice. "It's your turn. Call, raise or fold."

"I call. Sit down, boy. Next to me."

Will fell into the seat next to her, looking apprehensive.

"Deal him in," Reyna said. Nico did so without looking at him.

"You _do_ know how to play poker, don't you boy?" Reyna asked.

Will set his jaw.

As it turned out, he did know.

Very, very well.

Percy and Jason folded almost immediately. Annabeth and Piper went a few more rounds, and then gave each other mysterious looks and promptly gave in. They kept trying to catch Reyna's eye, but she didn't understand what they wanted.

Meanwhile, Will and Nico were still in, and the game was getting heated. The small pile of magical treasures was spilling off the table, and neither of them were backing down.

Across the table, Piper was winking at her so hard it looked like she had acquired a painful eye twitch. Annabeth was just staring at her steadily, her gaze burning into Reyna's retinas.

Looking around, Reyna saw none of the boys had noticed anything odd. Looking back at the two girls, she made a questioning face at them. Piper jerked her head towards the boys, who were completely absorbed in the game. Annabeth just gave her a significant look.

Reyna glared at them suspiciously. But then something must have clicked because she suddenly folded, despite her excellent cards.

So only Will and Nico were left to battle out the game. They didn't notice the sun going down, or everybody getting tired or bored and leaving, or even when it got to be dinner time.

"Hah! I will your magic flute and raise you six pomegranate seeds!"

"Bring it on Death boy!"

* * *

><p><strong>I hate this ending. I will no doubt come back and add more later, but right now I need to go to bed so Santa can come!<strong>


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